Toddler drowns in Spanaway Lake after wandering away from home
SPANAWAY, Wash. -- Medics weren't able to save a 21-month old boy who wandered into Spanaway Lake Tuesday night and drowned.
Rescue crews were called to the lake at 7:15 p.m. after the boy's 9-year-old brother spotted him in the water, according to Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
The 9 year old began screaming for help, and a neighbor went out in a boat and grabbed the child. Medics arrived moments later and began performing CPR. The boy was transported to Lakewood's St. Clare Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.
Details are sketchy, but Troyer said the child was somehow able to get out of a house in the 17100 block of 6th Avenue Court South, which is located along the southeast end of the lake.
"The weather's a little bit warmer. People are leaving their doors open, but you've got to remember that bodies of water -- ponds, lakes, pools -- are just as dangerous now as they are in the summer when it's really hot. It doesn't take much water and it doesn't take very long for this to happen," Troyer said.
Investigators don't know how long the boy had been missing from his home or how long he was in the water.
Rescue crews were called to the lake at 7:15 p.m. after the boy's 9-year-old brother spotted him in the water, according to Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
The 9 year old began screaming for help, and a neighbor went out in a boat and grabbed the child. Medics arrived moments later and began performing CPR. The boy was transported to Lakewood's St. Clare Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.
Details are sketchy, but Troyer said the child was somehow able to get out of a house in the 17100 block of 6th Avenue Court South, which is located along the southeast end of the lake.
"The weather's a little bit warmer. People are leaving their doors open, but you've got to remember that bodies of water -- ponds, lakes, pools -- are just as dangerous now as they are in the summer when it's really hot. It doesn't take much water and it doesn't take very long for this to happen," Troyer said.
Investigators don't know how long the boy had been missing from his home or how long he was in the water.
For all those pointing a finger at these poor parents just remember you have 3 more pointing back at you. None of you know the whole story. You only know what the news wants you to know. You shouldn't judge unless you want to be judged either. R.I.P. sweet little boy.
This shouldn't have happened. Whomever was responsible for this child, failed. I can guarantee that this would not happen to any child that I was responsible for - not my child or anyone's child I was watching after. Children are precious and we, as parents, owe it to them to make certain that nothing like this ever happens on our watch. IRRESPONSIBILITY, IRRESPONSIBILITY, IRRESPONSIBILITY!
This is sad at all levels. A 1 year old child drowning to death should never happen. The parents are at fault 100%. How can you lay your eyes off your kid when they are at that age? If my kid was that young and I didn't know where he was even for a minute, I'd look around to make sure I know he's safe and not doing anything that can turn out regretful. The sad thing is it wasn't even the parents that noticed their kid in the water first...it was their 9 year old son. What kind of parents are they? RIP little one.
 @Koreanman012Â
You are a sad little person for your comments. I know this family and the parents. you are pathetic and have a cold heart. They loved this child very much. Stop Judging people.
It's nice to know you are a perfect parent; I was not and you are the only one I know of who might be. Stop pointing fingers and pray for this family.....selfish is what you are!
There is a solution to prevent drowning for infants and toddlers. I am a swim instructor that teaches babies, toddlers or young children how to survive a tumble into the water.  This skill can be taught to children as young as 6 months. All children need to learn to float, swim and combine these skills to make it back to safety in the event of an accident. This should be taught prior to teaching a child to enjoy the water before becoming skillled. While there was clearly a supervision breakdown, no one can supervise their child 100% of the time. A child has one chance when they fall in, they either know what to do or they don't. God bless the parents who I know are shattered right now. Please teach your children to swim!  www.myswimlife.com coachcarol@myswimilife.com
@coachcarol@myswimlife.com Nice common sense comment, thanks.
@coachcarol@myswimlife.com I am sure this can help but it isn't 100%. People can drown even if they know how to swim, especially if they panic. But I do think lessons are a must!
To all the "accidents happen" commenters: BS! It's parental negligence and irresponsibility.  And yes, I am a parent. R.I.P. little guy.
@Tooby Roosday I'm a stay at home mom, I spend 99% of my time with my child, yet she still gets bumps on her head and scrapes on her knees. She still got a bloody nose when she fell of the couch, and a fat lip when she fell on the hardwood floors as she learned to walk. How long does it take you to go to the bathroom, or take a shower? Unless you bring your kid into the bathroom with you, they are unsupervised while you take care of yourself and that's just a fact of life. How many times have you left your child for just a second while you ran to pick up a ringing phone? Do you really hold your childs hand 24/7? I didn't think so. There is no such thing as a perfect parent, so get over yourself. I hope that you never experience anything like this, but if you ever do you probably won't appreciate people telling you that you are a bad parent. As a parent, you should already understand that.
 @lilhikergrl  @Tooby Who is talking about a perfect parent? Your child wandering out of the house unaccounted for is a whole lot different than any of the scenarios you presented. I'm glad I'm not your child.
@Tooby Roosday Ah ha, another perfect parent. Guess your head spins 360 like an owl or you do have eyes in the back of your head.Â
 @mustang sally  @Tooby Your smart ass reply only proves you obviously don't get it.
losing a child - I can't even comprehend this, hope all involved can find some comfort in each other and their faith.
poor lil dude,i cant begin to understand how the folks feel,
How sad. I have a 22 month old and I can't imagine if that were my little girl. You can't take your eyes off children that age for a second or their going to get into something.
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My heart goes out to the family.
@Tattooed_Angel It's impossible to have your eyes on your children every minute of the day no matter their age. It's great to try, but not possible and especially if you have more than one child.
Believe me, I know. But if I don't have an eye on my little girl then I have an ear on her. If she's quiet for more than a few seconds, I go looking to see what she's into. All it takes is a few seconds for a tragedy to occur.
My thoughts and prayers for the family and friends. What a sad and horrible thing to have happened.Â
Every parents nightmare when they are little, it just takes a few seconds and they can slip away! Mine kept me on my toes every second of her little life. SO VERY SORRY for this family. RIP little one!!!
I've always thought it would be beautiful to live by a lake. I haven't because I know how quickly accidents like these can happen. My heart goes out to the family of this precious baby.
 @makeadifference I grew up on a lake and even before I could walk, my mom and dad had me in infant swimming classes. It does help when someone is there and maybe takes a minute to react, but I don't know how helpful it would be when swimmin galone.
 @Xirxious It does make a difference. However, I watched a very fit firefighter drown. It really can happen to anyone and that's what's so scary.
Stop placing blame! Are you a perfect parent? Until you have walked in their shoes..........it's time to pray for this family during this tragic time. To those of you who must point fingers, shame on you! God Bless this family during this awful time in their lives.....RIP, little angel!
Why do so many people feel they have to point fingers when something like this happens? I am a mom of four (all grown now) and tried very hard to keep a good eye on them but sometimes things happen. I can think of so many scenarios that could have led to this child getting out of the house and down to the lake. And it's amazing how hard they are to find once they disappear. When I was 15, I babysat a small child in a house across the street from a lake. One day I was getting some lunch ready, turned around and the boy was gone from the room. A quick glance in all the rooms revealed no sign of him so I ran outside. I was freaking out because of the water but couldn't see him anywhere. Ran back in and thankfully licated him in there, where he'd gone into the master bath and was making a huge mess. Blessedly, this turned out ok. He hadn't gone to the lake and didn't eat or drink anything bad in the bathroom but I was doing nothing that any adult wouldn't have been doing when he fisappeared. However this happened, my heart and prayers go out to the family.
Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends. This is an absolute tragedy.
May God Bless The Family with His Grace and Mercy with AGAPE....
this family is the neighbor of a good friend of mine and I know this child, - this was an awful accident! This is not the time  to place blame on whether you think the parents are good or not - - especially on someone you don't know. Please just lift this family up in prayer for healing of this tragic situation.Â
Also, just stop and think before you comment because if this was your family that this was happening to - you wouldn't want people judging you and making the situation worse then it already is - that just shows how uncaring you are  - if it was you you would want support - not judgement!!Â
Prayers for the family..... it must be an agony above all agonies.
Oh Dear God......how horrible. Prayers for all involved.
Another senseless death of an innocent toddler who was NOT being supervised at all times. I send my condolences to the family...but this will haunt them the rest of their lives. SO very sad for all involved.
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Parents, guardians, responsible adults and teens: Make sure you ALL know who is with your child at all times and not assume that so and so has him. So very tragic. Rest in peace dear sweet little boy. ALso for the 9 year old who will have to live with this memory the rest of his life...may he eventually have peace with this tragic event.
 @My opinion is You are right about the 9 year old. When I was nearly 6, I found my 4 1/2 year old brother lying on the ground after falling from the second story roof at a home construction site (on a Sunday - no workers there). I had to take of my roller skates to climb over lumber and bricks, to get to him. He wouldn't wake up & had blood oozing from his nose. I knew to tell my parents and thought I could get home (1 block) faster on my skates, so I took the time to put them back on.
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My little brother died 2 days later of massive brain trauma, but at 6 years old, I not only thought God would send him back to us, but it was somehow my fault because I took the time to put my skates back on. The finality of death is a mystery to children, and their young minds do carry guilt when they think their actions somehow contributed or caused the death.
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My heart goes out this family, and especially to the 9 year old. Honey, you did exactly right and all you could do. Now you have an angel in heaven to watch over you.Â
 @My opinion is OK, I get it.  So at what age would you have parents stop leashing their children like dogs 24/7?
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 @My opinion is So I take it you know exactly everything that happened here? And you just don't understand that accidents happen?
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 @2nd Baseman Thanks for proving my point for me. Now you are a hypocrite and a troll.
 @My opinion is The child got out of the house. Accidents happen. I have an 8 yr old. One time when she was 2, I took her out of the car and she immediately ran right into the street from the parking spot. If a car was passing, it would have ran her over. Accidents happen, it doesn't mean the parents are bad parents. That gave me nightmares for a long time.
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 @jelisized @2nd Baseman Jelisized nailed it right there! I was wold when I was little years ago that I somehow got out and I was about a block or so down the street before I was found. Does that one instance make them bad parents? No. Certainly makes them better than ignorant others who are quick to judge based on one incident, especially when we don't know anymore than what is posted, not like it really matters since it was nothing more but a terrible accident!
 @2nd Baseman @stopandthink Really? I don't think I see any name calling here! What I do see is a 2nd Baseman who just got called out on his own ignorance and is not mature enough to handle it or even care! Technically you're the one being rude and disrespectful, so quit trying to be a hypocrite and quit trying to justify your responses!
 @2nd Baseman  @stopandthink  @2nd  @jelisized  @My I did not call you any  names, I asked that you stop being rude and disrespectful- Why don't you take "personal responsibility" and go learn how to have compassion for others. If you felt I called you a fool, then you obviously  reread what you wrote and maybe had an inkling of guilt for what you said. Maybe you should stop hiding behind your computer screen and acting like you are  responsible to the point you think you are. Stop trying to make excuses for being mean in a time when this family needs comfort.Â
 @2nd Baseman  @jelisized  @MyWhen your opinion is just plain rude and disrespectful - no one really cares.. People like you need to stop and think about what you would be feeling if you were going through this and just listen to what your elders have told you over the years.... if you can't say something nice ,, don't say anything at all, especially when it makes you look like a fool!! You are not a perfect parent - stop trying to act like you are because I am sure your family and friends would say you always have an excuse for your parenting - if you even have children.
 @2nd Baseman There are innumerable variables. We don't know what was going on. I agree that parents are ultimately responsible. I wasn't making excuses. I'm just saying that sometimes all those variables end up being bad. I feel for that family.