A pretty frightening dam rescue!! What a nasty hydraulic! Tubers washed over the dam that creates Lake Springfield in Springfield, MO on June 14th. One child was rescued, three others are missing. It’s amazing that no firefighters were killed; three were hospitalized.
Amazed that firefighters would take a boat into this backmwash, and that none were killed. The Ohio Division of Watercraft and others teach safer dam rescue techniques that keep firefighters OUTSIDE the boil line.
The Springfield Fire Department, sent crews around 5:30 p.m. Sunday after four people went over the dam. A young girl was rescued shortly after the incident and taken to the hospital. Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington said four are related, but will not release the identities involved.
Chief Pennington said conditions have allowed for an aggressive search by land, water, and air on Tuesday. With heavy rains expected again on Wednesday, Pennington said he hopes to make progress by the end of the day. Firefighters have used drones to extensively search the area.
Dustin Langston said he and his father were driving across the Lake Springfield dam Sunday afternoon when they noticed a group on the water.“She was in a kayak. They were on some tubes. They were out in the middle of the lake, and they actually looked like they were having a good time. They were kind of splashing around,” Langston said.
With water levels running high, Langston said he became concerned and later went back to check on them from his property overlooking the area. “And at that point, that’s when I noticed the floaties in the kayak at the bottom of the dam and panicked, left my phone, ran straight down there, was able to make contact with the girl. She was on a log just floating there,” Langston said.
12-year-old rescued at Lake Springfield speaks on tragedy of losing mother, sisters
by: Parker Padgett, OzarkFirst.com
Jun 18, 2026
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — 12-year-old Aurelie Stawny was the only survivor after a rescue and recovery effort following an incident at Lake Springfield this week.
Just days after a tragic high-water event at Lake Springfield, Ozarks First is hearing directly from the young girl involved, along with her father.
Andrea Stawny, 19, and Sofie Stawny, 17, lost their lives in the incident. Their mother, Taylor Stawny, 40, has yet to be recovered by search crews. They were all swept over the dam at Lake Springfield. Aurelie, 12, was the only survivor – rescued by responders on Sunday, June 14.
Gilbert Stawny is the father of the two girls who lost their lives. He is also reflecting on the change he wants to see at the site as a result. His ex-wife, Taylor Stawny, 40, is still missing as of Thursday afternoon. Aurelie is sharing the tense moments that unfolded on Sunday.
Aurelie says she, her sisters and mother planned to go to the water, but Lake Springfield wasn’t their first choice. “We go to a river. It had high water and signs that said it’s dangerous here and to not go. My mom drives to [Lake Springfield], and we don’t really see any signs and we kind of went into the water,” Aurelie said.
The family has lived in the area for a few years, and had never been to Lake Springfield before.
Aurelie said the family was pulled toward the dam by the current and did not realize the dam was there until it was too late.
She said they tried to turn back, but the current kept pushing them closer. Her mother told them they would keep going until they reached land, but Aurelie said she believed there was a drop ahead.
It was the family’s first time at Lake Springfield, Aurelie said. She said they did not know there was a dam in the area and did not recognize where they were.
The 12-year-old said the family became separated shortly after.
Aurelie said her mother went over the dam first while she was still some distance away. When Aurelie realized she would not make it to land, she said she swam toward one of the logs and went over.
Once below the dam, Aurelie said she held onto a wall as the water pulled away her float. She said she could feel the force of the water pushing against her feet and pulling downward. She pushed off the wall and made her way to a log, believing it would be safer than remaining in the cold water.
After some time passed, Aurelie said help arrived.
She said rescuers lowered a life jacket to her with a rope. She held onto the rope while waiting for firefighters to reach her. When firefighters arrived, Aurelie said they lowered another life jacket, leaving her wearing two as she waited in the water.
Aurelie said firefighters eventually reached her by boat and pulled her aboard. The boat traveled for a short distance before stopping, she said, which is the point seen in some videos when the boat drifted back toward the dam.
She said the boat was pulled back toward the dam several times before it eventually flipped.
Aurelie said she held her breath and waited to float back up. She then pulled herself onto a log, where she noticed a female firefighter had suffered a head injury and was bleeding from her forehead.
After water rescue crews were able to get Aurelie and the firefighters to safety, Aurelie was taken to the hospital.
That is when Gilbert said he received a call.
Gilbert said the hospital told him to come in but did not give him any additional information at first. On the way there, he said he frantically tried calling Taylor, Andrea and Sofie, but no one answered.
When he arrived and saw Aurelie was the only one in the hospital room, Gilbert said he knew something had gone wrong. At that point, he said he was told the others were missing and that fire rescue crews were searching for them.
Gilbert said he had some experience with water rescues when he was younger and had been in contact with the family Sunday. He said nothing about the photos Taylor sent him appeared dangerous at the time.
According to Gilbert, Taylor had sent photos of the girls having fun on the river. The water looked calm and safe, he said. Based on the pictures and his communication with Taylor, Gilbert said he did not know there was a dam nearby and did not believe the family was in danger.
Aurelie said she wants people to understand that her mother did not know the dam was there until Aurelie pointed it out. She said her mother genuinely believed they were on a normal lake.
As Gilbert and Aurelie continue to process what happened, they said they also want their loved ones remembered for the impact they had on the people around them.
Gilbert described Taylor as a deeply loving mother.
He said Andrea, who was on the autism spectrum, was a talented artist who was friendly, outgoing and loved by nearly everyone who met her.
Sofie, Gilbert said, was sporty, tough and brave. She loved mountain biking and being outdoors. He said she was also a strong swimmer, a wrestler, involved in band and active in several extracurricular activities.
As the family continues grieving, Gilbert and Aurelie said they hope their story brings more awareness to the dangers around Lake Springfield and leads to changes.
Gilbert said he would like to see the gate locked during high-water conditions, noting he has seen that done before. He also called for more visible warning signs to alert people that they are entering a dangerous area.
He said he also believes there should be a net or some type of barrier to prevent people from going over the dam.
While Gilbert said he is not an expert in public works, he described those three steps as common-sense changes that could help prevent another family from going through the same thing.
Online donations are continuing to pour in for the family.
“Thank you so much for everybody that contributed to the that we saw. I don’t know all of the people on this, but it’s overwhelming how much the community has come together and helped. I’ve seen donations in all kinds of sizes and I was not expecting any of that,” Gilbert said.
Aurelie shared the same gratitude for those donating, and the two also say they’re forever grateful for the first responders who arrived that day, and have been working throughout the week.
“I am eternally grateful to the people that got her back,” Gilbert said. “I have never been more grateful. I would have lost three daughters without them.”
“I’m extremely lucky. It was a choice I made to align myself up that pillar, but if I had chosen any other area, I wouldn’t have made it, but that should never have happened,” Aurelie said.
Ozarks First also reached out to City Utilities, which manages the Lake Springfield Dam.
“City Utilities has safety measures in place at the Lake Springfield Dam. There is signage on the embankment that says ‘Danger, Keep Out’ as well as line of safety buoys is positioned roughly 100 feet upstream of the dam to alert boaters and paddlers that they are approaching the spillway,” a spokesperson responded.
As of now, rescue crews continue to search for Taylor Stawny.