Child, 5, drowns at apartment pool outside of Bloomington

A 5-year-old boy drowned in an apartment pool west of Bloomington on Saturday, June 13. First responders administered CPR when they arrived at the scene, but the child was pronounced dead upon arriving at IU Health Bloomington Hospital.

Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call reporting the drowning at the Woodland Springs apartments pool around 7:15 p.m. Saturday. According to Detective Lt. Jennifer Allen, the 5-year-old was with his mother, three siblings and a friend of the mother at the pool. Allen said the pool, in the center of the three-building complex, had other parties present and was busy at the time.

Allen said 911 was contacted immediately when the boy was noticed in the deep end of the pool. Monroe County Sheriff's medical and fire personnel arrived at the scene and began performing CPR on the child before transporting him to the hospital.

A preliminary investigation, including interviews with eyewitnesses, does not indicate evidence of a crime. The investigation is ongoing.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 4 and the second-leading cause of injury-related death for children 14 or younger, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA).

Drowning deaths for children under 15 have increased in recent years, according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2021, 380 children under the age of 15 died of drowning, the majority of whom were younger than 5 years old. In 2019, 354 children under the age of 15 died of drowning.

According to the NDPA, 88% of child drownings occur with at least one adult present.

Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heradlt.com.