WESTERN PA. Divers pull body from lake

Muskrat trappers discovered the hole the victim's car made in the ice.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
PORTERSVILLE, Pa. -- Divers found the body of a Warren, Ohio, woman who apparently was doing doughnuts in her car on an ice-covered lake and crashed through, authorities said.
Divers found the body in a car in Moraine State Park's Lake Arthur on Tuesday, a day after park officials reported a hole in the ice with vehicle tracks leading to it.
The car, a white Pontiac 6000 sedan, has Ohio license plates and was registered to the victim, who Pennsylvania State Police identified Tuesday as Betty L. Martof, 55. They did not release a street address and said the investigation is continuing, though foul play is not suspected.
Police in Warren said they have no outstanding missing-person reports and had not been contacted by Pennsylvania authorities about the vehicle.
Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks and state police officials say it's unclear why the car drove onto the ice.
Trappers saw hole
Divers were first called out Monday morning after muskrat trappers saw the hole and the tire tracks leading to it and alerted park officials. Tire tracks also indicated the driver had been spinning the vehicle in circles on other areas of the lake, officials said.
The car was found resting on all four wheels in 12 feet of water. Three of its doors were locked with the windows rolled up; the driver's window was slightly open and the door was unlocked. The woman was not wearing a seat belt, authorities said.
Park manager Obie Derr said ice on the lake, which about 12 miles east of New Castle, was only two to three inches thick. The park is in Butler County.
Park officials don't monitor the thickness of the ice nor do they post signs to let park visitors know how thick the ice is, though they recommend that skaters and fishermen stay off the lake unless the ice is at least four inches thick, Derr said. It is up to individuals to monitor the ice thickness, Derr said.
Extraction
The car will remain in the lake until it thaws.
"They won't be able to get [the car] through the ice without destroying it. There are a lot of stumps and rocks in the area. Also, it's not safe." Derr said. "They're going to wait until the ice breaks up, then they'll get some air bags out there and bring it up to the surface." For now, divers have attached a marker to the car's bumper so it can be located later.
The tire tracks indicated the car drove onto the lake from a snowmobile trail and may have tried to exit using a boat launch ramp near Pa. Route 528, which crosses the lake, officials said. The hole in the ice was 100 to 150 yards from that launch area.