Babysitter charged after two-year-old drowns in Lancaster County pond, state police say
HERE IN DOWNTOWN LITITZ ARE HELPING OUT. IT IS 6:00 ON OUR FRIDAY MORNING. TAKING A LIVE LOOK AT OUR GETTYSBURG SKYCAM. STILL SEEING SOME FOG LINGERING THIS MORNING. BUT YEAH, IF YOU WERE WITH US YESTERDAY MORNING OR EVEN JUST PEEKED OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT QUITE AS BAD AS IT WAS YESTERDAY. WE’VE GOT REGINA CHECK IN OUR MORNING COMMUTE, AND METEOROLOGIST MARYELLEN PANN IS WITH US THIS MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE. AND WARMER THIS MORNING. YEAH. DEFINITELY WARMER. AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS BECAUSE YESTERDAY WE HAD FREEZING FOG AND IT WAS MORE DENSE AS WE LOOK THROUGH OUR HERSHEY SKY CAM. IT’S NOT LOOKING BAD AT ALL. YOU JUST SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A HAZE THERE IN THE DISTANCE. THERE MAY BE SOME MIST, BUT MOST OF THAT HAS ENDED ACROSS THE REGION. NOW WE’RE STILL SEEING VISIBILITY LOWERED IN SOME PLACES, LIKE A MILE AND A HALF IN LEBANON, TWO MILES IN LEWISTOWN AND HARRISBURG, TWO AND A HALF MILES IN YORK. SO JUST BE MINDFUL OF THAT. IF YOU’RE GETTING READY TO STEP OUT, THAT VISIBILITY COULD DROP SUDDENLY ON YOUR IN YOUR TRAVELS. BUT TEMPERATURES ARE CERTAINLY MUCH WARMER. YESTERDAY WE WERE IN THE 20S, AND AT THIS HOUR WE’RE IN THE LOW 40S, EVEN MID 40S THERE IN LEBANON, 37 DEGREES IN LEWISTOWN. THAT’S OUR COLDEST SPOT. WINDS ARE LIGHT TO CALM AND THEY’LL PICK UP ABOUT 5 TO 10MPH AS WE GO THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. TEMPERATURES GET BACK INTO THE LOW 50S TODAY WITH SOME PEEKS OF SUNSHINE DURING THE AFTERNOON, BUT GENERALLY A MOSTLY CLOUDY DAY AND ALL THE WAY THROUGH 7:00. WE ARE LOOKING AT DRY CONDITIONS, BUT I AM TRACKING SOME WET WEATHER WHICH I’LL HAVE MORE ON IN MY FULL WEATHER. THE SUN IS REALLY TRYING TO COME OUT LIKE IT WILL. YEAH, IT WILL MAKE AN EFFORT FOR US IS WHAT I CALL HIM. AT LEAST HE’LL BE HERE ON SUNDAY. SO THAT’S GOING TO BE SUNDAY. LOOKS GREAT. I CAN’T WAIT FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT MARY ELLEN, IT’S 601 ON THE CLOCK EVERYONE. HAPPY FRIDAY TO YOU. HOPEFULLY YOU’RE IN THE FRIDAY FEELS I KNOW WE ALL ARE HERE ON THIS EXTRA GIFT FRIDAY. WE DO HAVE ONE INCIDENT WE ARE MONITORING RIGHT NOW IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY. THIS IS ON I-81 SOUTHBOUND BEFORE NEWVILLE. THE EXIT THERE. JUST WATCH OUT FOR THAT. IT LOOKS LIKE TRAFFIC IS STILL FLOWING IN THE AREA THERE ON 81. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A SLOWDOWN, BUT NOT TOO BAD AT THIS HOUR. AND TAKING A PEEK ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, LANCASTER COUNTY LOOKING GREAT THERE. IF YOU’RE TRAVELING ON 283 AT ROUTE SEVEN, 43 AT THE HERSHEY ELIZABETHTOWN EXIT, YOU CAN SEE VERY BUSY ON THIS FRIDAY MORNING. WE’LL HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE FOR YOU IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. LANCASTER POLICE SAY ONE PERSON IS SERIOUSLY HURT AFTER BEING STABBED. POLICE SAY THIS HAPPENED AT THE CORNER OF NORTH DUKE AND EAST CHESTNUT STREETS JUST AFTER SIX LAST NIGHT. OFFICERS HAVE NOT SAID IF THEY’VE MADE ANY ARRESTS. AND NEW THIS MORNING STATE POLICE IN PERRY COUNTY SAY THEY ARE INVESTIGATING THE RAPE OF A CHILD. TROOPERS SAY THEY ARRESTED 50 YEAR-OLD RICHARD HOLSTEIN AND TOOK HIM TO THE PERRY COUNTY PRISON. STATE POLICE SAY THE ABUSE STARTED WHEN THE CHILD WAS JUST FOUR YEARS OLD IN 2008, AND CONTINUED FOR 15 YEARS UNTIL 2023. TROOPERS ALSO SAY AN INVESTIGATION LATER REVEALED A TOTAL OF THREE FEMALES WERE SEXUALLY ABUSED, AND STATE POLICE SAY TWO MEN ARE NOW CHARGED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE IN FRANKLIN COUNTY. IN WHAT STARTED OUT AS A STABBING INVESTIGATION. COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL A 23 YEAR OLD WOMAN STABBED ONE OF THOSE MEN WEDNESDAY NIGHT DURING A DRIVE IN LURGAN TOWNSHIP. ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS, THAT WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS BEING TAKEN FROM MISSOURI TO CANADA, WHERE SHE IS FROM. NOW, SHE SAYS THE MEN TOLD HER, THOUGH DURING THAT TRIP THAT THEY WOULD FORCE HER TO HAVE SEX FOR MONEY AND THEN LEAVE HER TO DIE. TROOPERS SAY 30 YEAR OLD JOSE HERNANDEZ GUTIERREZ AND 27 YEAR OLD EDGAR ESPINOSA GAMBOA ARE NOW FACING CHARGES. STATE POLICE SAY THE WOMAN TOLD THEM THAT SHE FEARED FOR HER LIFE WHEN SHE STABBED ESPINOSA GAMBOA IN THE NECK. POLICE SAY THAT WOMAN, THOUGH, WAS ALSO FOUND WITH A POWDERY SUBSTANCE, SO SHE IS ALSO CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA IN LANCASTER COUNTY. MANHEIM BOROUGH POLICE SAY THE MAN THAT YOU SEE HERE. MICHAEL CRESPO, IS MISSING. POLICE SAY HE WAS LAST SEEN AROUND 1030 YESTERDAY MORNING IN THE AREA OF IRON BRIDGE ROAD AND HAWBAKER ROAD IN RAPHO TOWNSHIP. LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DEVELOPER OF TWO AI DATA CENTERS IN THE CITY TO ADDRESS SOME RESIDENTS CONCERNS. WE’VE BEEN REPORTING ON THIS, AND NOW WE KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS DID LAY OUT REGULATIONS THAT KARISSA TECHNOLOGY PARKS WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW WHILE BUILDING AND OPERATING THOSE AI DATA CENTERS. THE AGREEMENT INCLUDES COMMITMENTS RELATED TO AIR QUALITY, NOISE REDUCTION AND WATER USAGE. IT’S 604 IN THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY’S LARGEST DAY OF ONLINE GIVING IS UNDERWAY, BENEFITING MORE THAN 400 ORGANIZATIONS. NEWS EIGHT’S GABRIELLE THOMAS IS JOINING US LIVE FROM ONE OF THE BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORTS THE EXTRA GIVE IN LANCASTER COUNTY. GOOD MORNING, GABRIELLE. GOOD MORNING CAITLIN. I’M HERE AT CANDY OLOGY IN DOWNTOWN LITITZ. I MADE SURE THIS WAS MY LAST STOP TO GIVE YOU ALL THE ENERGY YOU NEED TO DONATE TO EXTRA GIVE. TAKE A LOOK AROUND. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANDY, CHOCOLATE AND SO MUCH MORE. YOU NAME IT, CANDY OLOGY DEFINITELY HAS IT. NOW I HAVE JASON AND JENNIFER ZIEGLER JOINING ME THIS MORNING. THEY ARE THE OWNERS OF CANDY OLOGY. JASON, I’M GOING TO START WITH YOU. EXPLAIN TO ME OR TALK TO ME MORE ABOUT CANDY OLOGY. WHAT DO YOU GUYS OFFER AND HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL TO KNOW THAT THESE DONATIONS THAT ARE GOING TO BE RAISED, THAT ARE GOING TO EXTRA GIVE TO VENTURE, IT’S ONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT’S A PART OF EXTRA GIVE THAT ALSO IN RETURN WILL HELP YOU GUYS OUT HERE IN DOWNTOWN LITITZ. ABSOLUTELY. SURE. SO CANDY ALLERGY. WE HAVE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING FROM YOUR YOUTH RIGHT UP TO TODAY IS YOU’RE GOING TO FIND OUT IN A FEW MINUTES. HERE. WE HAVE SOME FUN STUFF, BUT THINGS YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IN A LONG TIME. AND AS FAR AS LIKE THE VENTURE LITITZ THING, THEY REALLY HELP GET THIS COMMUNITY MOVING. AND FOR US, IT’S IT’S WONDERFUL WE GET TO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY AND REALLY HELP EVERYBODY PROSPER. AND JENNIFER, WHAT IS CANDY ALLERGY OFFERING IN SUPPORT OF EXTRA GIVE? WELL, WE’RE GIVING 10% OFF OF OUR ENTIRE PURCHASES THAT YOU GIVE WHEN YOU DONATE. AND PLUS WE GIVE A LITTLE BIT BACK IN YOUR POCKET WITH OUR GOLD COINS. BUT I WOULDN’T SUGGEST, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SPEND THEM, BUT EAT THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU JENNIFER. AND REALLY QUICK, WE’RE GOING TO PLAY A GAME OF PICKLE ROULETTE. THESE ARE THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCE IF YOU COME HERE TO CANDY OLOGY. NOW JENNIFER, EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THIS GAME WORKS. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. SO THIS GAME WORKS. PICKLE IS OUR FLAVOR OF THE YEAR. SO INSIDE HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY ARE ALL THE SAME COLOR. BUT YOU HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING EITHER WATERMELON, APPLE, LEMON, LIME, OR APPLE OR PICKLE. SO WE DON’T KNOW WHICH ONE IS INSIDE OF THESE CUPS. BUT IF WE ALL TAKE ONE WE’RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT EACH OF US GET. OKAY. LET’S TRY IT OUT OKAY. ONE FOR YOU. THANK YOU. AND EVEN OUR CAMERAMAN HAS ONE. THAT’S RIGHT. I HOPE I DON’T GET THE PICKLE. I GOT THE PICKLE. OH, I GOT PICKLE. ALL RIGHT, YOU SEE HOW FUN IT IS? YOU CAN HAVE SOME FUN AND DONATE TO EXTRA GIVE AS WELL. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO EXTRA GIVE, WE ALREADY HAVE THAT LINK ON OUR WEBSITE WGAL.COM. REPORTING LIVE HERE IN DOWNTOWN. I’M GABRIEL THOMAS WGAL NEWS EIGHT. SHE SAID THAT SO QUICKLY, SHE KNEW RIGHT AWAY THAT’S THE PICKLE TASTE. YES, SOME PEOPLE REALLY ENJOY PICKLES, BUT I THINK I’LL STICK TO THOSE CHOCOLATE COINS. GABRIEL. THANK YOU. I’LL LET YOU FINISH CHEWING THERE. LET’S GET A CHECK NOW ON THE DONATION TOTAL. BECAUSE LOOK AT THIS FROM THE LAST TIME. WE HAVE NOW GONE OVER THE $1 MILLION MARK WITH YOUR DONATIONS FOR THE EXTRA GIVE. AGAIN, THIS HELPS OUT MORE THAN 400 NONPROFITS THAT HAVE REACHED ALL ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. AND DONATIONS ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED UNTIL MIDNIGHT. IT IS 607 IN DAUPHIN COUNTY. TWO PARENTS ARE CHARGED AFTER POLICE SAY THEY DID NOT GIVE THEIR SON THE MEDICINE HE NEEDED FOR DIABETES. 41 YEAR OLD ANTHONY DIFFENDAL AND 36 YEAR-OLD MEGAN DIFFENDAL OF MIDDLETOWN, ARE CHARGED WITH ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF A CHILD, ACCORDING TO CHARGING DOCUMENTS. THEY DID NOT GIVE THEIR 13 YEAR OLD SON THE INSULIN HE NEEDED. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE BOY WENT TO THE HOSPITAL IN SEPTEMBER WITH A LIFE THREATENING CONDITION AS A RESULT OF HIS DIABETES GETTING WORSE. IN LANCASTER COUNTY. A PENN TOWNSHIP MAN IS CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING A NURSE ASSISTANT AT UPMC LITITZ HOSPITAL, AND HIS CASE WILL NOW MOVE FORWARD INTO COUNTY COURT. THE LANCASTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS BRIAN REINER WAIVED HIS PRELIMINARY HEARING. HE’S ACCUSED OF PUSHING THE NURSE ASSISTANT TWICE AFTER GETTING TO THE HOSPITAL ON OCTOBER 12TH. THE D-A SAYS REINER IS ALSO ACCUSED OF THREATENING TO HIT THAT NURSE. WELL, NEW THIS MORNING A FAMILY IN STRASBURG IN LANCASTER COUNTY SAYS IT’S BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH DRIVERS WHILE THEIR SON, WHO IS DISABLED AND USES A WHEELCHAIR. AS YOU SEE HERE, GETS ON THE SCHOOL BUS. NEWS EIGHT’S JACOB HUNZIKER EXPLAINS. IT’S A VERY BUSY ROAD HERE ON WEST MAIN STREET IN STRASBURG. EVERY SINGLE MORNING. THAT’S WHEN SEVEN YEAR OLD CYRUS GETS ON THE BUS EVERY DAY, AND SOME FOLKS HAVE BEEN VERY IMPATIENT. CYRUS WAS DIAGNOSED WITH SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY TYPE TWO WHEN HE WAS JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS OLD. IT AFFECTS MUSCLE GROWTH, WHICH MEANS THAT CYRUS NEEDS HELP GETTING AROUND AND SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME IN A WHEELCHAIR. HIS FATHER, NATE, SAYS THAT CYRUS TO SCHOOL CAN BE A CHALLENGE EVERY DAY. GETTING CYRUS ON THE BUS. HE HAS A WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE BUS THAT HE GETS ON TO, AND IT TAKES MAYBE 2 TO 3 MINUTES LONGER TO GET HIM ON THE BUS. JUST WITH HOW THE LIFT GOES UP. THE DRIVER COMING OFF THE BUS, LOWERING THE RAMP, GETTING HIM ON, RAISING IT, GETTING HIM IN, GETTING HIM STRAPPED DOWN. SO WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS? AND SPECIFICALLY THIS YEAR, IS WE’VE BEEN GETTING PEOPLE HONKING AS HE’S GETTING ON THE BUS. ACCORDING TO CYRUS PARENTS, IT’S GONE BEYOND JUST HONKING HORNS TO AND COMING UP TONIGHT ON WGAL NEWS EIGHT AT SIX, YOU CAN HEAR MORE ABOUT CYRUS STORY AND THE HEARTWARMING WAY THAT THE COMMUNITY RESPONDED AND SHOWED THEIR LOVE FOR THE FAMILY. REPORTIN
Babysitter charged after two-year-old drowns in Lancaster County pond, state police say
Updated: 2:04 PM EST Nov 21, 2025
A babysitter faces charges after a two-year-old drowned in a pond in Lancaster County, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The drowning happened on a farm in the 1500 block of Mine Road in Salisbury Township around 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 23. Troopers said Anna King, 40, of Paradise, was babysitting a two-year-old boy at the property. Her four-year-old son was also home at the time. According to court documents, King told police the children were playing in a barn while she was using a leaf blower. A neighbor who lives nearby said the four-year-old showed up at her door to let her know that he was retrieving his dogs, according to the documents. King then told police she saw her four-year-old son walking across her driveway with their dogs, but panicked when she didn’t see the two-year-old boy with him. King said about 30 minutes had passed since she last saw them playing together, the affidavit said. Toddler found floating in pondKing then found the two-year-old floating in the middle of the pond, which is approximately seven feet deep, according to investigators. She used a tube to paddle out and pull the boy from the pond, police said. King told police the boy was unresponsive and cold to the touch, according to the documents. Investigators said the two-year-old was transported to Lancaster General Hospital in critical condition and later taken to Hershey Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead. Four-year-old interviewedPolice said the four-year-old child told them he and the two-year-old were in a barn and used a side door to enter a large fenced-in field. The two crawled under a fence to get to the pond, where they played along the shoreline and in the water, according to the document.Police said the four-year-old told them while they were playing, he saw his dogs near the neighbor’s house and he left the pond to get them.The coroner ruled the two-year-old’s death as freshwater drowning. King is charged with endangering the welfare of children.
SALISBURY TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
A babysitter faces charges after a two-year-old drowned in a pond in Lancaster County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The drowning happened on a farm in the 1500 block of Mine Road in Salisbury Township around 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 23.
Troopers said Anna King, 40, of Paradise, was babysitting a two-year-old boy at the property. Her four-year-old son was also home at the time.
According to court documents, King told police the children were playing in a barn while she was using a leaf blower.
A neighbor who lives nearby said the four-year-old showed up at her door to let her know that he was retrieving his dogs, according to the documents. King then told police she saw her four-year-old son walking across her driveway with their dogs, but panicked when she didn’t see the two-year-old boy with him.
King said about 30 minutes had passed since she last saw them playing together, the affidavit said.
Toddler found floating in pond
King then found the two-year-old floating in the middle of the pond, which is approximately seven feet deep, according to investigators. She used a tube to paddle out and pull the boy from the pond, police said.
King told police the boy was unresponsive and cold to the touch, according to the documents.
Investigators said the two-year-old was transported to Lancaster General Hospital in critical condition and later taken to Hershey Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead.
Four-year-old interviewed
Police said the four-year-old child told them he and the two-year-old were in a barn and used a side door to enter a large fenced-in field. The two crawled under a fence to get to the pond, where they played along the shoreline and in the water, according to the document.
Police said the four-year-old told them while they were playing, he saw his dogs near the neighbor’s house and he left the pond to get them.
The coroner ruled the two-year-old’s death as freshwater drowning.
King is charged with endangering the welfare of children.