Florida toddler drowns in family pool while father sleeps inside, state investigating

Florida state officials are investigating the drowning death of a 3-year-old Palm Beach County boy earlier this month while his father was allegedly asleep inside the family's home.

The boy was home with his father while his mother was at work on Thursday, Aug. 10, documents from the Florida Department of Children and Families show.

The father fell asleep — state records emphasize that it’s unknown whether that was intentional — and when he woke up, the 3-year-old was missing.

A search of the house was unsuccessful, so the father asked a neighbor to help him look for the boy, state officials said.

More than 30 minutes passed before the father contacted the boy's mother, who then called law enforcement, DCF records show. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office then responded to the scene.

Authorities immediately found the boy floating in the family's swimming pool. They rushed him to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was pronounced dead.

Read more here.

About the Author