Autopsy results consistent with drowning

Preliminary autopsy results are consistent with drowning in the case of a 5-year-old boy who was trapped underwater following an Aug. 28 car accident on Fernan Lake Road. The autopsy on Evan Deshazer did not reveal any internal injuries, said Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office still is waiting for toxicology results, he said. Evan Deshazer’s sister, River, 1, and his parents, Sarah and Michael Deshazer, survived the accident in which the family’s Dodge Durango slid off Fernan Lake Road into the lake. The parents were able to escape, but both children were trapped underwater for about 15 minutes, authorities said. River Deshazer’s condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center steadily has been upgraded since the accident from critical to serious, and now, to satisfactory. “When they brought her up, she was not breathing,” Miller said. However, he added, “Kids are very resilient. The younger you are, the more apt you are to survive a drowning.” An account at Idaho Independent Bank was opened to benefit the family, who are homeless, according to Howard Martinson, director of a Coeur d’Alene homeless drop-in center. Donations can be made at any bank branch to the Deshazer Donation Account, No. 0100067891.