Crime & Safety

62-Year-Old Woman Dies After Being Pulled From Waters Off Clearwater Beach

Kristine B. Heller had gone for an evening swim with her husband.

A 62-year-old woman was pronounced dead after she was pulled from the waters off Clearwater Beach, officials said Monday night.

Police have identified the woman as Kristine B. Heller of Clearwater.

She and her husband had been struggling in the Gulf of Mexico near the Palm Pavilion sometime around 7:30 p.m., according to Clearwater public safety spokesperson Rob Shaw. 

The two had gone for an evening swim when the husband noticed the water seemed deeper and the current stronger, Shaw said. He told Heller that he was going to go back to shore; he later told authorities she was the better swimmer of the two.

He made it back to the shore; she did not.

A Clearwater Fire & Rescue boat, which had been in the area doing dive training for police and firefighters, found the woman's body in the water a few minutes later about 100 yards offshore. Rescue workers performed CPR as the boat made it back to the dock.

Heller was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 8:30 p.m.

Updated: 8:30 a.m., Tuesday.


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