MEDIA RELEASE
Hawaiʻi Island police are investigating the apparent drowning of a toddler in Kailua-Kona as a public accident.
Responding to an 8:58 a.m. call Friday (February 22) Kona patrol officers made contact with a 30-year-old woman on Lamaokeola Street in Kailua-Kona, who reported that she had been watching her 18-month-old son play in a vacant lot. She reportedly turned away for a few seconds. When she looked back, her son was missing.
After searching for 10-15 minutes, the woman found her son floating face down in a plastic tank filled with water. The child was unresponsive when the woman removed him from the tank.
The woman attempted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until Fire Department rescue personnel arrived. They took the boy to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:37 a.m. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The Area II Criminal Investigations Section is continuing the investigation. Police do not suspect foul play.
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