NEWS

Carroll boy, 2, dies in backyard pool, police say

Charly Haley
chaley@dmreg.com

A 2-year-old Carroll boy drowned in a backyard swimming pool Tuesday evening, the third child to drown in Iowa this month, authorities said.

This unusually high number of child drownings prompted state officials to remind parents about water safety with a news release issued Wednesday.

At about 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, police and paramedics responded to a north Carroll home, where 2-year-old Eli Rowedder had been found unresponsive in the pool, said Capt. Mark Heino of the Carroll Police Department.

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When emergency responders arrived, an adult was performing CPR on Rowedder, Heino said. Rowedder was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Three adults and some children were at the home when Rowedder drowned, Heino said.

The case is still under investigation, and no other information was available Wednesday afternoon..

It is routine for police to investigate any unexpected death, including accidents, Heino said. He said he had not seen a death of this nature in Carroll in his 38 years with the police department.

Other drownings

Rowedder's death is the latest in what a state official said is an unusual number of drownings so far this month.

"Since July 5, we've had three instances of children who have drowned," said acting State Medical Examiner Dennis Klein. On average, about five to seven children younger than age 10 die each year in Iowa due to drowning, he said.

In each of the three cases this month, the child drowned after supervising adults "sort of lost track of them" for a few minutes, Klein said.

"It only takes a few minutes, and it can be very unsafe," he said.

Klein could not confirm specific cases, due to confidentiality reasons.

But since July 5, local authorities have reported children drowning in Mahaska County and Lake Red Rock, along with Rowedder's death in Carroll.

PREVIOUSLY: 2-year-old girl dies in Mahaska County pond, authorities say​ | Des Moines man, Newton boy drown at Lake Red Rock

On July 5, Mahaska County authorities received a call about a 2-year-old girl who had been found unresponsive in a family pond, according to a county news release. The girl was transported by ambulance to Mahaska Health Partnership in Oskaloosa, where she was pronounced dead.

On July 10, the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to two separate drownings at Lake Red Rock, including the death of a 6-year-old boy.

Alexi Oquendo, 6, of Newton was found 25 yards from the shore of North Overlook Beach, in about four feet of water, shortly after his family reported him missing around 5 p.m., the sheriff's office said. An hour later, Daniel Tutor, 50, of Des Moines was found in about five feet of water after his kayak apparently overturned.

Water safety

In a news release, the State Medical Examiner's Office and the Iowa Department of Public Health offered these water safety tips:

  • Use life jackets for non-swimmers to bridge momentary lapses in supervision.
  • All children and adults should use life jackets on recreational waters.
  • Adults and children should learn to swim. Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning, particularly among young children.
  • Provide fences with self-closing, self-latching closures around swimming pools and spas.
  • Avoid alcohol use while swimming or supervising children.