GILBOA, OHIO A north-central Ohio woman was pronounced dead less than an hour after she was pulled out of the Gilboa Quarry where she had been diving yesterday morning, marking the fourth death in three months at the quarry in Putnam County, authorities said.

Rebecca Budd, 54, of Ashland, Ohio, was pronounced dead about 12:30 p.m. at Lima Memorial Hospital, where she was flown by medical helicopter, Putnam County Sheriff s Lt. Marv Schwiebert said.

The Lucas County Coroner s Office is to perform an autopsy today to determine the cause of death.

Authorities were called just after 11:40 a.m. to the quarry on old U.S. 224 in eastern Putnam County between Ottawa and Gilboa, which is about 55 miles southwest of Toledo.

When Lieutenant Schwiebert arrived, Mrs. Budd was not breathing.

Everybody was really shook up, wondering what happened, he said.

Mrs. Budd, a homemaker, had arrived at the quarry about 9:30 a.m. with her husband, Thomas, an attorney, and a group of about eight other people from Ashland, Lieutenant Schwiebert said.

Among the group was a diving instructor who had taught Mrs. Budd.

She had been diving for three years and had been to the Gilboa Quarry several times before, the lieutenant said.

The Ashland visitors separated into two groups to explore the quarry.

Mrs. Budd was last seen when she maneuvered away from the group and toward the other Ashland group, authorities said.

She was pulled out of the water 30 to 45 minutes later, but it is unknown when she got into trouble or why, Lieutenant Schwiebert said.

In late June, a Dayton-area diving instructor, Van A. Losh, 60, of West Alexandria, Ohio, died of natural causes while attempting a dive at the quarry.

In late April, three Dayton-area divers got into trouble and two died: Sherry Eads, 43, of Brookville and Daniel Frendenberg, 21, of Union. The sheriff s office has listed diver error as the cause of their deaths.

The third diver in that group as well as another diver in early May were rushed to hospitals from the quarry.

Lieutenant Schwiebert said none of the problems appeared to be related to the quarry itself; several were attributed to failure of the divers personal equipment. The owner of the quarry had no comment.

Jane Schmucker

First Published July 30, 2007, 10:10 a.m.