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ORONOKO TOWNSHIP — The Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department is investigating the possible drowning of a Berrien Springs woman in the St. Joseph River.

According to police, emergency personnel were dispatched to the St. Joseph River near Dairy Road in Oronoko Township on a report of a missing person who was presumed to be in the water and missing. 

Personnel arrived, and through investigation, determined that Shirani Simpson, 42, Berrien Springs, had been in the area with her children and had entered the water when she believed her son, 8, was having difficulty. The child was found on an island in the river by the Berrien Springs Oronoko Twp. Fire Department Water Rescue boat. The child was treated at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital Niles and released in good condition. The mother of the child remains missing. 

Further information will be made available pending the ongoing search and investigation.