Infant dies after reported drowning at vacation rental home in North Naples
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —
Deputies responded to an infant boy who reportedly drowned at a home in Collier County on Tuesday night.
According to the 911 call, a 1-year-old boy drowned in a pool at a vacation home in North Naples on Tuesday night.
The incident occurred near 96th Street and 6th Street North, where Collier County deputies responded just before 11 p.m., according to Ina Kacani, a neighbor who lives nearby.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office incident report said deputies entered the outside pool area of a residence on 6th Street North at 10:50 p.m., and they saw an infant boy on the floor who was not conscious or breathing and had no pulse.
A deputy started CPR on the infant and another deputy arrived with an AED and LifeVac, the report states. CPR continued until EMS arrived at the scene to continue care on the infant.
Despite CPR efforts described during the 911 call, the child could not be revived.
“Everything lit up through my shades and everything,” Kacani said. “And I looked outside, and I saw at least eight police cars in the next block.”
The infant was taken by EMS to an NCH hospital in North Naples.
A homicide section detective responded to the scene and took over the investigation. A deputy went to the hospital and stayed with the infant’s mother until the detective arrived and took over.
“My heart does go out to the family,” said Paul DeMello, founder of the nonprofit Just Against Children Drowning, based in Port Charlotte.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. DeMello, who lost his twin sons to drowning in 2010, now works to raise awareness about water safety through his organization.
“The idea of if there was a safety fence, you know, at my twin boys’ grandparents’ house. They would be alive today,” DeMello said.
Flowers were lying on top of pool towels near the site of the drowning, as neighbors like Kacani called for stricter safety measures for pools in rental homes.
“Put a safety fence around the pool,” Kacani said. “It wasn’t just kids going outside it, having a special pool with an opening that kids cannot open. But this was a baby.”
The Florida Department of Children and Families was also notified of the incident and responded.
The confirmed cause of death has not yet been released.
Count on Gulf Coast News to keep you updated.
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