TC Palm

Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers

Updated Thu, May 21, 2026 at 5:22 PM UTC

20-month-old girl found submerged in Florida pool dies a day later

The 20-month-old girl involved in a May 19 drowning incident at a Port St. Lucie home has died, according to police officials.

The girl was found submerged in a pool at a home in the 3200 block of Southwest Crumpacker Street and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to officials.

The girl died just after 7 p.m. May 20 while receiving treatment at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, according to a May 21 police news release.

A preliminary investigation determined a 19-year-old family member might have left a sliding glass door ajar after opening it to let the family dogs outside.

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At some point thereafter, according to officials, the 20-month-old girl exited the residence unnoticed and later was discovered submerged in a detached above-ground swimming pool located in the backyard.

The girl’s father found her and alerted the mother, according to officials. The mother started CPR and yelled for help. A neighbor heard the calls for assistance and phoned 911.

The girl was taken to Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital in Port St. Lucie before she was flown to the children’s hospital.

The incident remained an active investigation.

Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 20-month-old girl dies after found submerged in Port St. Lucie pool