A 2-year-old girl in West Virginia drowned during a field trip to a resort Thursday, according to multiple reports.
The drowning happened in Pocahontas County, in the Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia State Police confirmed to WV News and television station WDTV.
According to WDTV, the child was on a field trip to Snowshoe Mountain Resort when she went missing around 3 p.m. that day.
It was a trip chaperone who realized the girl was missing, West Virginia State Police Sgt. Stephen Baier told WV News.
“They were all out of the swimming pool, and the child somehow got away from the chaperones unannounced to them,” Baier told WV News. “About two or three minutes after the child had got away from the chaperones, the chaperones realized she was gone and began a search.”
Once the chaperone realized the child was missing, she was found 15 minutes later floating facedown in the pool, reported WDTV.
The West Virginia State Police did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment on the child’s death.
Snowshoe Mountain Resort said in a statement to USA TODAY Monday afternoon that Snowshoe staff tended to the girl before Shaver’s Fork Fire & Rescue showed up to help.
The girl was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced deceased, WV News reported.
“At this time, we ask that you join us in keeping the child’s family in your thoughts and prayers and their privacy upheld,” Snowshoe Mountain Resort said in its statement. “We are a very close community here on the mountain and in our industry as a whole, and this incident has affected all of us deeply.”
The resort said it is working with local authorities as they investigate.
It was not immediately clear Monday morning whether anyone would be charged but Baier said that’s up to the Pocahontas County prosecuting attorney. The girl’s drowning “appears to be just an accident,” Baier told WV News.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause, and contrary to popular belief, drowning is often silent.
“Drowning can happen to anyone, any time there is access to water,” the CDC wrote on its website.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].
