Glenwood City woman dies in incident on St. Croix River

By Cara L. Dempski

TOWN OF ST. JOSEPH — A Glenwood City woman is dead in a probable carbon monoxide poisoning incident on the St. Croix River this past weekend.

Ashley G. Speer, age 24, Justin M. Roskos, age 25 from Hastings, Minnesota, and Hayden L. Johnson, age 27 of River Falls, were scheduled to camp at a beach Saturday, June 24. The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office was asked to conduct a welfare check on the boat after receiving a call on June 25 that no one had been able to reach Speer, Roskos or Johnson since the day before.

The St. Croix County and Washington County, Minnesota, water patrols began looking for the boat, which was found at approximately 5:45 p.m. Sunday evening at the HiLine Beach, located in the Town of St. Joseph. The beach is directly across the river from the Xcel Energy’s Allen S. King Power Generating Station in Bayport, Minnesota, and is owned by the St. Croix Yacht Club.

Information provided by the Sheriff’s office indicates the beach is accessible only by water or private road.

Roskos and Johnson were transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. Speer was pronounced dead at the scene by the St. Croix County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The incident is being investigated as a carbon monoxide poisoning, but the St. Croix County press release said the investigation is on-going, and further information will be released as it is made available.

The boat, a 34-foot Wellcraft pleasure boat, is registered to Roskos.