Friday, Jul 29, 2005
Posted on Fri, July. 29, 2005

Casino customer found floating in moat

By CHRISTINE VENDEL and LYNN FRANEY The Kansas City Star

Missouri Highway Patrol troopers rescued an unconscious woman this afternoon after she fell into a moat outside a Kansas City casino.

The 55-year-old Kansas City woman remained in critical condition at a hospital this afternoon.

The incident happened about noon at the Isle of Capri, 1800 E. Front Street. Police said a couple leaving the casino noticed a woman’s purse on a walkway over a moat and then saw a woman floating in the 16-feet deep water.

Troopers assigned to the casino pulled the woman from the moat and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until firefighters arrived.

Police said they were investigating whether the woman accidentally fell or jumped. She was found in the moat on the northeast side of the casino. The moat lies under a walkway that connects the casino to the casino’s parking garage. The walkway’s blue railings appear to be several feet tall.

Mike Tamburelli, the Isle of Capri’s general manager, said the company was deeply concerned about the woman and her family and that its employees were cooperating with the investigation.

Tamburelli said the woman was a casino customer, but he did not know whether the incident was related to her gambling.

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See tomorrow’s Star for more on this story and other local news.