A 2-year-old Ohio boy died Wednesday in an apparent drowning after he wandered out of his home and into his neighbor’s pool, according to authorities.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Monday, Police Chief Brandon H. Begin said officers initially responded to a call in Oregon, Ohio at around 10:34 a.m. local time about a 4-year-old boy wearing a diaper outside alone in accompanied by a dog. When authorities arrived at the scene, according to Begin, they found a child and a dog inside the home.
Begin also said officers spoke with the four-year-old’s mother — who was asleep when the incident occurred — and advised her of safety measures to take to ensure the well-being of her children.
The chief added that his officers left the residence after speaking with the mother, who never mentioned to them that her other son, later identified by ABC affiliate WTVG-TV as 2-year-old Marcus Hall, was missing.
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About 45 minutes later, the mother called 911 to report Marcus missing, according to Begin’s statement. When officers arrived at the home, they checked the neighbor’s above-ground pool, which was located directly behind the family’s property. Authorities said the pool was not fully fenced and had a ladder outside. That’s when officers found Marcus in the pool.
“One police officer immediately jumped into the pool to pull the child out,” Begin said in his statement. He quickly handed the child over to another police officer who escorted him to the waiting police vehicle. Our officer attempted CPR on the child while another officer took them to St. Charles, which is approximately 1 mile from the child’s home. The hospital staff tried to save his life, but unfortunately the child did not survive.”
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Police noted that Marcus’ unidentified 4-year-old brother was unharmed in the incident.
In an interview with WTVG, Marcus’ father, Anthony Hall, described his late son, who was also known as Mar Mar, as a “cool little dude.” Anthony, who was at work at the time, told the station that Marcus was “very energetic. He learned quickly. He was very smart.”
In a GoFundMe created by Anthony to raise money for his son’s funeral expenses, he wrote: “This story [breaks] my heart everytime i have to tell him he was only two years old this is not fair to baby marcus so please anything help i just want my baby to be able to rest i cant [imagine] what was going through his mind during all this.”
As of Monday afternoon, more than $2,100 had been raised. PEOPLE has reached out to Anthony for comment.
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Begin said the incident is under investigation and charges are likely to be filed.
“The pool fence issue is a zoning issue and the City of Oregon Department of Building and Planning has been notified of the situation and they are working on that end,” Begin said, according to the statement. “Lucas County Children’s Services responded to the hospital after the incident to meet with the family.”
The police chief described what happened as a terrible tragedy. “We all mourn the loss of a boy in a very tragic accident,” he said, “which could have been avoided with proper safety measures in place. I really hope this situation opens the eyes of other parents and those who have pools of danger that arise in this situation and that everyone takes steps to ensure the safety of children in the community.”
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Source: HIS Education