GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A 3-year-old boy drowned in a pond near his Grand Rapids-area home on Sunday, deputies say.
The boy’s parents called 911 around 2:20 p.m., after they noticed he was missing from their home at Woodfield Apartments, located near the near the intersection of 60th Street and Eastern Avenue in Gaines Township, just south of Grand Rapids, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office said.
Video shows the 3-year-old outside by himself around 1:20 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies started searching the area but could not find him.
“The concerning part was when children go missing, especially in a multi-housing complex like this, there’s a lot of eyes, a lot of people see stuff, and we didn’t have any follow up 911 calls of kids being missing,” Sgt. Eric Brunner said.
One witness told deputies they may have seen a child near a retention pond, located about 30 to 40 yards from the child’s home, Brunner said.
A dive team was called to the scene. They recovered his body around 5 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
Brunner said the child had wandered off. He said the drowning is believed to be an accident and no foul play is suspected.
“We just believe this is a simple accident, a tragic accident, where a kiddo was able to get past a door,” Brunner said.
Victim advocates are working with the family, he said.
“We’re grieving alongside that family and this community, it’s a hard time for them,” Brunner said. “It’s hard for this community, so we’re here to support in any way we can.”
Investigators are working to learn more about what happened.