ANAHEIM : Girl’s Drowning Ruled Accidental

The death of a 16-month-old girl found in an algae-covered swimming pool was ruled as an accidental drowning, authorities said Friday.

The child, Jenny Alisa Alverez, was pronounced dead at Martin Luther Hospital shortly after being pulled from the pool Thursday afternoon at a home in the 9400 block of Picadilly Way. Witnesses said the child apparently wandered out of the home through an open door while her mother was in the bathroom.

“At this time it appears it was an accident,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson. “Somehow or other the sliding glass door had been left open. The mother realized she didn’t see the child around. That’s when she found (her) in the pool.”

Olson said there was no other trauma to the child’s body and that autopsy results show the cause of death as drowning. Investigators are continuing to review evidence from the scene, including testimony from several people living in the one-story tract home, he said.

The girl and her mother had been staying as guests at the house, in an unincorporated neighborhood near Anaheim, for about two weeks. The family living at the home and the girl’s mother were not identified and could not be reached for comment on Friday.

“It’s really a shame,” said Olson, noting that there is no fence around the swimming pool. The pool is described as being covered with a thick layer of green algae from a lack of chemical maintenance.

The girl is at least the 11th child in Orange County under the age of 7 to die this year by drowning in either a swimming pool or spa, authorities said.