This week, authorities reported a tragic incident at a local pond.
After driving into the water on Wednesday, Sept. 24, the victim, identified as Robin Sardone, managed to call 911 herself shortly after 4 a.m. local time, Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby told PEOPLE.
Milby noted that foggy conditions at the time may have impaired Sardone’s visibility.
The Democrat and Chronicle reported that Sardone failed to stop at a stop sign, drove through an intersection, and ultimately entered the pond. Her 911 call ended as her car submerged.
Minutes later, around 4:10 a.m., police and sheriff’s deputies arrived. At approximately 4:17 a.m., a firefighter equipped with water gear entered the pond to search for her, Milby said.
In addition to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the village of Palmyra Police Department, South Macedon Fire and Rescue, Macedon Center Fire Department, and Macedon Town Ambulance all responded to the scene, Milby added.
By 5:05 a.m., a dive team from the sheriff’s office had arrived and spent over two hours searching for Sardone. They also deployed a remotely operated vehicle with sonar, though their efforts were hampered by an “extreme” amount of plant life in the pond, Milby explained.
Hours later, around 7:40 a.m., a diver located Sardone’s body inside her vehicle.
“She was not able to self-extricate,” Milby told the Democrat and Chronicle.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and an autopsy will determine Sardone’s official cause and manner of death, Milby told PEOPLE.
Rev. Jim Trimble from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Honeoye Falls told ABC affiliate WHAM that Sardone leaves behind a daughter who was “her world.”
“They were new to the church and wanted to know so much more about their faith,” Trimble said. “Robin and I would have discussions frequently. [She was] asking really good questions and never accepting stock answers.”
Chris Baron, a fellow churchgoer, described Sardone to WHAM as “kind, caring and friendly.”
Baron added, “She loved dancing, she loved going to the state fair, she loved boating, she was always proud of her daughter’s accomplishments. She was one of my best friends, and I’m certainly going to miss her.”
Anna Engstrom, a friend of Sardone’s, told the station that the community faces a “long healing process” after the sudden loss.
“We’re going to have to take baby steps, first honoring her faith and then figuring out how to support her daughter moving forward,” Engstrom said to WHAM.
