Woman Who Drowned in Columbia Near Finley Identified

Authorities say it was an accident, an autopsy is not planned.

Around 4:30 pm Monday officials were notified of a possible drowning in the Finley area, off East Hedges Road.

Rescue crews say a mother and daughter were fishing in the area, when the girl was pulled by the current underneath a barge. She had been sitting in an inflatable boat. The mother, identified as 46-year-old Doris Purdue of Kennewick, jumped in to try to help her daughter, but she was also pulled under the barge.

The daughter was able to pull Purdue to the shore, but efforts to revive her were not successful. She was pronounced dead at the scene.