Arleta : Toddler’s Drowning Called Accidental

Autopsy results released Thursday have determined that a 16-month-old toddler drowned, apparently after crawling through a dog door of an Arleta home and falling into a spa, authorities said.

Family members discovered Jessica Castillo floating in the spa Wednesday afternoon and had her rushed to Pacifica Hospital of the Valley, where she was pronounced dead about 5:20 p.m., police said. An autopsy was performed on the toddler Thursday.

“Outwardly it appears to be that of an accidental death from drowning,” coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier said. “There was no other significant trauma found.”

Castillo was being baby-sat by her aunt Wednesday at a home in the 8500 block of Matilija Avenue when the accident occurred, said Los Angeles Police Detective David Berglund of the department’s Abused Child Unit. The aunt apparently had put the toddler down for a nap, but when she returned about 15 minutes later to check on her niece, the girl was gone.

The aunt’s boyfriend discovered the child floating face up in the spa and unsuccessfully attempted to revive her, Berglund said. It appears the child crawled out of the house through a “doggie door” that had been installed in a sliding glass door leading to the patio.