Who was Kara Wrice? Famous Footwear model, 16, drowned in Missouri was a 'straight A student'
WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI: A teenager from Missouri who hoped to move to New York to continue her growing modeling career drowned at a state park. The incident happened last week and her body was identified by her father on Monday, July 5.
Kara Wrice, 16, standout junior at Webster Groves High School, died on July 2, 2021, in the Meramac River in Castlewood State Park, said her father, Karl Wrice. Divers found the teen’s body hours after she went under the water and never resurfaced. Kara was allegedly swimming with adults and friends in the river, after which she went underwater and didn’t resurface, according to emergency crews, at that time she was not wearing a life vest. Karl said Kara was drinking that day and that he and Kara's mother were not aware that she was at the park until they were told she was missing. It is reported that the park was closed to the public. Heavy rain in the area over several days made for increased risks for swimmers, St Louis County police said.
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We have earlier reported similar incidents. This month we reported the death of Mircea Popescu, a Bitcoin billionaire who drowned and died. We also reported the case of Pete Rosengren, who lost his life while saving children from drowning on a Florida beach. We reported a bizarre incident where a Massachusetts teenager named, Jack Callahan drowned his alcoholic dad while 'exorcising a demon.' According to CDC, "While children are at highest risk, anyone can drown. Every year in the United States there are an estimated: 3,960* fatal unintentional drownings, including boating-related drowning—that is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.17-Jun-2021." Stop Drowning Now reported, "In the US, an average of 3,500 to 4,000 people drown per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day."
Karl remembered his daughter saying that she was a straight-A student at Webster Groves High School who played volleyball, worked as a lifeguard and had worked as a model since she was 14, appearing in ads for Famous Footwear. “She had this effervescent quality about her, just comfortable in her own skin in the best possible way,” said Mary Clarke, co-owner, of Mother Model Management in St. Louis. “She was the girl that was the leader and always brought the fun, and would welcome the new ones and make them feel comfortable,” said Clarke. “We knew that by next summer, we’d be launching her into the fashion world at a higher level, but that doesn’t get to happen now.”
“She is a wonderful student, she is the exact kid that every parent would want their kid to be,” said John Thomas, Assistant Principal at Webster Groves High School. Thomas who is also the Wrice family's neighbor remembered her as a hard-working, all-American girl. Thomas added that she leaves a hole in their tight-knit school district and believes the healing has only begun. “We’ve talked about what does that look like for the rest of the year? What does that look like for some of the kids that were there? How can we be good teammates, good neighbors?” said Thomas. A GoFundMe page was set up to "help Kara’s family raise money for a scholarship in her name". The page has raised, $13,726 of the $15,000 goal
At 14, Kara signed with Mother Model Management, a St Louis-based agency that has discovered star actors like Ashton Kutcher and former Victoria’s Secret model Karlie Kloss. The agency posted a picture of Kara on its Instagram page in August 2020, saying she was “young but stood out” among other aspiring models in the crowd.
“When Kara came in for the first time, she was quiet and soft-spoken, but we quickly found that she was really a fireball full of personality,” the post read. “This girl is comfortable in her own skin, brimming with confidence, full of energy and such a natural when it comes to modeling.”
After the news of her death, the agency wrote a long post in her memory, saying, "On Friday evening, Jeff received a call from our beloved model Kara Wrice’s father, telling us there had been a tragic accident and she had drowned. The story was all over our local news that a 16 year old had died, and sadly it was our sweet, spirited Kara. We are heartbroken. Devastated. She was cherished. A truly special girl and an important part of Mother." It further read: We have been doing this for together for 25 years next year and Kara stood out in countless ways. There was no one else like her and there will never be. RIP sweet girl. We loved you so very much."
In order to find Kara, emergency officials used sonar and divers to locate her and Bommarito Automotive SkyFOX Helicopter was over the scene to get a view from the air. She is survived by her father, mother, and three brothers. It is reported that the first responders announced a warning about water safety last month after around six people drowned in just a week. Swimmers and boaters should be aware of strong currents and should be wearing a life jacket. “You can be the strongest swimmer and it doesn’t matter,” Sgt. Tracy Panus said. said. Around 17 people have drowned or died in boating accidents in Missouri in June 2021, more than during any previous June in the last decade