Toddler Drowns

An Owasso family is mourning the loss of an 18-month-old who drowned on Friday. The boy went missing while in the care of a family member, he was later found dead in a neighbor's pond. News On 6

Friday, October 12th 2007, 1:58 pm

By: News On 6

An Owasso family is mourning the loss of an 18-month-old who drowned on Friday. The boy went missing while in the care of a family member, he was later found dead in a neighbor's pond. News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports police say it is a tragedy everyone can learn from.

Remington Place is a quiet, family neighborhood in Owasso. But Friday morning, the peaceful setting was disrupted.

"About 10 o'clock this morning we received a call from a person saying that their 18-month-old child that they were watching had walked off from their house and that they were beginning to search for the child," Owasso Police Chief Dan Yancey said.

Less than 10 minutes later, an officer found neighbors pulling the boy from a small pond, just a few doors down from his own home. The 18-month-old had apparently drowned.

Most neighbors were saddened by the news, but one neighbor was angry. She says she saw the boy outside Friday morning by himself with no adult in sight.

"I've got three kids, all under the age of six and I'll tell you, if I bathe my kids, my phone goes in the bathroom with me. I sit on the toilet and I watch my children. If I go in the other room I have the door open so I can see my children, so I can hear my children," neighbor Michelle Ryan said.

Police are conducting a routine investigation, but say the boy's drowning appears to be a tragic accident.

Owasso officers say this incident shows it only takes seconds for an unwatched child to get themselves into serious trouble.

"Some people mentioned that maybe those ponds should be banned. Well, that's not the only risk when a year-and-a-half walks out the door. You have cars that are driving up and down the street. You have all kinds of risks that pose risks to those types of kids," said Chief Dan Yancey.

Paramedics tried to revive the boy at the scene. He was pronounced dead at Saint John Hospital in Owasso.

Watch the video: Toddler Drowns In Pond