Two police officers also fell through the ice during rescue attempts and were treated at a hospital.
EASTHAM, MA — A woman died after falling through ice on Bee’s River in Eastham on Saturday morning, and search crews have not found her husband, who investigators believe may have gone into the water first. The couple’s dog was found and brought to family members.
The deaths and the ongoing search drew multiple agencies to First Encounter Beach on Cape Cod and sent two Eastham police officers to the hospital after the ice gave way beneath them during rescue attempts. Officials said the incident unfolded quickly after a report of a loose, wet dog in the beach parking lot, and the search for the missing man was later suspended because of dangerous conditions on the ice.
Police said they received a call at about 9:07 a.m. Saturday reporting a dog wandering near the First Encounter Beach parking lot that was wet and appeared to be in distress. When an officer arrived, police said, he heard a woman screaming for help from the area of Bee’s River. Investigators believe the woman and her husband had been on the ice with their dog when something went wrong, and the man may have fallen through before officers reached the scene.
The first officer who tried to reach the woman found her in the water and attempted to pull her out, officials said. The ice then broke beneath the officer, and both the officer and the woman became submerged. A second officer arrived and helped pull the first officer to safety, police said, but the ice broke again as the second officer tried to move farther out, dropping the officer into the water up to the waist. Both officers were able to make it back to shore and were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation before being released, officials said.
Firefighters entered the frigid water in cold-water suits and additional teams were called in as the rescue effort turned into a recovery, officials said. The Barnstable County Technical Rescue Team and Dive Team located the woman under the ice at about 11:12 a.m. Saturday and pronounced her dead at the scene. Authorities did not release the woman’s name, saying they were waiting until family members had been notified.
The search then focused on the woman’s husband. Crews searched for about six hours Saturday using divers, drones and an underwater remotely operated vehicle, according to officials. The on-scene search ended around 5 p.m. because of darkness, police said. Teams returned Sunday morning with drone equipment and searched the shoreline and over the ice, but found no sign of the man, officials said.
“The conditions are so difficult with the ice out there that we are suspending the search at this time,” Eastham Police Chief Adam Bohannon said. Bohannon said officials expect to conduct additional aerial checks, but said there would be no further searching on the ice during the suspension. The man’s name also was not released.
Eastham Fire Chief Lisa Albino and Bohannon said in a joint statement that the victims’ names were being withheld while officials worked to notify relatives. They praised rescuers who responded to the scene in unstable conditions. The statement described “extremely difficult conditions” on the ice and offered condolences to the family.
Officials said the dog was safely removed from the beach by Eastham’s animal control officer and reunited with extended family. The dog’s appearance at the parking lot helped trigger the initial call that brought officers to the beach, officials said. Investigators did not immediately say how the dog ended up separated from the couple or whether the animal went into the water.
The incident shook people who visited the beach area after the recovery. Frederika Kelly, who came to the scene later Saturday, said she could not stop thinking about what the woman and rescuers experienced. “The police, I can’t imagine what it was like for her to be screaming,” Kelly said. “It’s a terrible thing that happened.”
Others said they were stunned that a familiar winter scene turned deadly so quickly. Rachel Baum, who was at the beach with a friend, said she was grateful the officers made it back to shore. “Thank God that they’re okay and the dog is okay, but it’s just tragic,” Baum said. Another visitor, Sara Khevoian, said she kept thinking about the couple’s family and how sudden the loss was, calling it “so tragic.”
Authorities have not said whether the couple were longtime residents or visitors, but Bohannon told reporters they were local residents and that many people in town knew them. “It is devastating, our thoughts and prayers go out to them,” he said. Officials did not release the couple’s ages, and they have not described the exact sequence that led both people into the river.
Bee’s River runs near First Encounter Beach, a popular spot on the outer Cape even in winter, and officials said the ice conditions were hazardous. The search was halted because of the risks posed to rescuers, not because the investigation had ended. Authorities said they were still working to piece together what happened and how long the couple had been in the area before the 911 call.
The case remains under investigation, and officials said there was no immediate timetable for resuming a full-scale search on the ice. As of Sunday, the man had not been located, and police said they would continue to evaluate conditions and consider additional aerial checks. The next public update is expected if search operations change or if the man is found.
Author note: Last updated February 15, 2026.