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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Officials identify woman who died after fall into hole

The woman who died Saturday after she fell into a hole in a remote part of Kootenai County was identified today as Dixie A. Farman, 39, of Newman Lake. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the incident, said it appears to be “a tragic accident.” The cause of death is still unknown, and an autopsy has been scheduled, the agency said today. Farman was walking with her children in a marshy area when she fell head-first into a hole created by animals and became stuck, the sheriff’s office said. A deputy with a backcountry unit responded after hearing calls for help about 2 p.m. Saturday. Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and U.S. Forest Service personnel responded, but attempts to remove the woman failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The hole near Copper Creek in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest was 2 to 3 feet in diameter and filled with water, a sheriff’s sergeant said. Farman had been looking for frogs or other wildlife with her children in knee-high grass.