{"id":162988,"date":"2026-02-04T03:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T03:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/162988\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T03:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T03:30:09","slug":"police-say-children-were-swimming-unattended-when-four-year-old-drowned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/162988\/","title":{"rendered":"Police Say Children Were Swimming Unattended When Four-Year-Old Drowned"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police Say Children Were Swimming Unattended When Four-Year-Old Drowned<\/p>\n

(OCSO, Feb 3, 2026)<\/p>\n

Independence Township, MI \u2013\u00a0Oakland County Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives are finalizing the investigation into the drowning death of a 4-year-old Sterling Heights girl that occurred Friday evening at a private athletic club in Independence Township.<\/p>\n

Deputies were dispatched at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday to the Deer Lake Athletic Club, located in the 600 block of White Lake Road, for a report of a possible drowning. Upon arrival, deputies found the child on the pool deck where CPR was being administered by two adult males and a female.<\/p>\n

Deputies immediately took over lifesaving efforts until Independence Township Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported the child to a local hospital, where she was ultimately pronounced deceased.<\/p>\n

The investigation determined the victim was in the swimming pool with five other children at the time of the incident. The oldest child present was 12 years old. No adult supervision was present at the pool when the drowning occurred.<\/p>\n

Investigators learned that two adult women had brought their six children, ages 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4, to the pool. After placing several flotation devices into the pool, the women left the children unattended and went to the club\u2019s bar\/restaurant area, where they ordered food and beverages. The investigation revealed the women remained in the bar\/restaurant area for approximately 35 minutes while the children were left alone in the pool area.<\/p>\n

The victim was removed from the pool by her sister, after which the two women were located in the bar\/restaurant area.\u00a0 The pool depth varied from approximately three to five feet. Investigators observed pool toys and pool noodles in the area but did not observe any life preservers.<\/p>\n

The pool area is posted with two signs, one at each end of the pool, stating there is no lifeguard on duty and that minors under the age of 16 are not permitted in the pool without an adult present.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a horrific and tragic death that easily could have been avoided.\u201d Sheriff Bouchard said. \u201cWe always encourage that not only is there an adult present for any children swimming activity, but one adult is specifically tasked with watching and not just in the area. We have seen cases where children have drowned in a pool surrounded by adults.\u201d<\/p>\n

The investigation remains under review and will be submitted to the Oakland County Prosecutor\u2019s Office for further consideration.<\/p>\n

NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these \u201cas is\u201d or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.<\/p>\n

This story is presented without internal advertising due to the nature of the story.<\/p>\n

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