‘No one noticed until it was too late’: Missing Fresno toddlers drown in neighbor’s swimming pool
Two toddlers who wandered from their great-grandmother’s home through an open garage door died Monday after they were found unconscious in a neighbor’s swimming pool, according to police.
The 2-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy were reported missing at about 10:56 a.m. after their great-grandmother could not find them, Fresno Police Lt. Joe Gomez said.
The children were identified as 2-year-old Elizabeth Thao and 3-year-old Jayce Thao, according to the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.
The siblings’ father had left them in the woman’s care that morning, he said. The children were apparently left in a room that had access to a garage door, which was left open.
The toddlers left the residence in the 5200 block of East Heaton Avenue sometime between 8 and 10 a.m., according to authorities
“No one noticed until it was too late,” Gomez said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they began searching the neighborhood for the missing children.
As police combed the block, an officer contacted a next door neighbor and asked if he could search her backyard for the boy and girl.
He began walking through the side yard toward the backyard when he heard the neighbor screaming.
The neighbor found the children unresponsive in her backyard pool.
Officers immediately removed the children from the pool and began performing CPR.
The children were not breathing and had no pulse, Gomez said.
The siblings were taken to an area hospital, where they were declared dead. Their names have not been released.
Detectives are investigating the drowning, but Gomez said “at this early stage of the investigation, this appears to be an extremely unfortunate tragic accident.”
Officers, he said, are devastated. A chaplain offered support to any officers who needed to talk about the accident, Gomez said.
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UPDATES:
Sept. 20, 9:25 a.m.: This article has been updated with the children’s identities.
This article was originally published at on Sept. 19 at 2:55 p.m.
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