N.Y.C. Woman and Her 7-Month-Old Golden Retriever Drown in Vermont River: 'We Are Devastated'
Vermont State Police
A New York City woman and her 7-month-old Golden Retriever have died after drowning in a Vermont river earlier this week.
On Monday, Vermont State Police announced that they were looking for Erika Seyfried, who was reported missing a day prior.
Seyfried, 36 — who hailed from Brooklyn, New York — had been staying at a vacation home while visiting Westminster, Vermont, with her husband and their puppy, police said.
Her disappearance was reported to authorities around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, though police had no reason to consider it suspicious at the time.
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During a later search, members of the Vermont State Police Scuba Team then located the body of a woman in the Saxtons River near the vacation home, who they believed to be Seyfried.
Her canine companion — named Jules — was located by both police and Seyfried's family members on Wednesday afternoon near the location where her body was found, according to WCAX. The animal is also believed to have drowned as well.
On Thursday afternoon, an autopsy report from the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington was released, which revealed that Seyfried's cause of death was drowning and the manner was accidental, ABC-affiliate WTEN reported.
Seyfried was the vice president and director of digital strategy and consumer engagement at Penguin Random House, where she had worked for the publisher for more than 13 years.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Penguin Random House told The Bookseller: "We are devastated by the loss of our colleague Erika Seyfried, 36, who died in Vermont on Sunday."
"Her reader-centric approach to consumers, her social media prowess, and her tireless nurturing of our authors earned her reverence throughout our company and our industry," the organization continued. "With her forward-looking, inclusive approach to every team and project she led, Erika was the embodiment of what we all hope for in a colleague, and friend."
"Our thoughts are with Erika's family, loved ones, and our colleagues who worked with her and adored her," the publisher added.
