A three-year-old Prairie City toddler drowned Friday afternoon in a neighbor's koi pond, according to McDonough County Sheriff Nick Petitgout.
Petitgout said the child was playing outside with his siblings and neighbor children when he went missing. A neighbor who lives next door to the family's home was working in the yard when he discovered the child face-down in his koi pond. He pulled the child out and immediately began CPR, Petitgout stated. He called 911 while working to save the child, and at the same time, a 911 call came in from the child’s mother to report her child was missing.
Emergency responders arrived within minutes. The child was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m. Friday, March 20 at McDonough District Hospital, according to McDonough County Coroner Eric Jameson.
The McDonough County Sheriff's Department and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“We are currently working on a death investigation along with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; however, no charges are pending. This was an accident and a tragedy,” Petitgout said. “We send our deepest sympathies to the family. We’re all torn up over this, and we’re extremely saddened over the loss of this little boy.
“I’d like to thank Bushnell-Prairie City Fire Department and Lifeguard Ambulance for their efforts,” he added. “I’d also like to commend the neighbor who acted quickly and started CPR right away.”
