JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 2-year-old girl drowned in Putnam County on Tuesday evening, according to officials.
Deputies responded to the Hollister area where they found a little girl unconscious next to a pond with her mother. Law enforcement began CPR while waiting for rescue units to arrive. The 2-year-old was rushed to the hospital but she was not able to be resuscitated, officials said.
When investigators spoke to the child's mother, she explained she was inside their home while the little girl played outside with another young child. She told police the kids were outside for “about 10 minutes” when the adults realized the kids were missing. The girl's mother ran to the pond where she found her child face down in the water, unresponsive. The mother told officials she had only lived at the residence two days.
From 2017 to 2019 Florida was ranked the highest in the United States for unintentional drownings among children 1-4-years-old, according to the state Department of Health.
“This is a horrible tragedy and our hearts grieve with the family at a life gone too soon,” Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said. “With summer in full swing, we as family, friends and neighbors must be vigilant in watching our kids around water. We live in an area with lots of opportunities for drowning because of the lakes, ponds, pools and of course the St. Johns River and the water is unforgiving."
This is an active investigation.
