Luxemburg woman dies in boating accident Two others are rescued off southern Door County By Joe Knaapen News-Chronicle A Luxemburg woman apparently drowned in a boating accident that occurred late Tuesday in the waters of Green Bay off southern Door County. An autopsy will be conducted today to determine the exact cause of death for Bonnie Ritchie, 52, whose body was found Wednesday morning. The accident occurred sometime after Ritchie went boating Tuesday from Chaudoir's Dock in a 16-foot boat. She was aboard the craft with her husband, Joe Ritchie, and their friend, Pat Bauche, 44, both of Luxemburg, said Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel. At 7:18 p.m., the sheriff's department was notified that two boaters - the Ritchies and their pet terrier - had gone into the water about one-half mile off shore from Chapel Lane in the town of Union, Vogel said. Firefighters from the Brussels-Union-Gardner Fire Department arrived at the scene and commandeered a boat that they used to rescue Mr. Ritchie and recover the body of the dog Mrs. Ritchie had been holding, Vogel said. Rescuers later said they could hear Mrs. Ritchie, but were unable to find her in the dark after rescuing her husband and retrieving the dog, Vogel said. Rescue and recovery efforts continued through the night, and her body was recovered about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 2. Neither of the Ritchies was wearing a life preserver, Vogel said. The incident remains under investigation, he added. Participating in the rescue and recovery were members of the BUG Fire Department, Door County Emergency Services and Sheriff's departments, Eagle III from Green Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard, South County Rescue, Luxemburg Rescue, the Brown County Sheriff's Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Her death was the first drowning in Door County for the 2004 boating season. The autopsy will be conducted by the Brown County Medical Examiner's office, which conducts post mortems under contract for Door County.