Tot dies, brother in intensive care after pool accident

A 1-year-old is dead and her 2-year-old brother is clinging to life at a hospital after the two were pulled unconscious from a backyard swimming pool in La Mesa, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.

The children’s mother and a male friend who lives at the home had apparently not realized that the children had fallen into the pool in the east San Diego County neighborhood, authorities said.

The mother said she had been asleep and awoke about 9:45 a.m. Monday to find the children in the pool, floating and unresponsive. The adults then rushed them to a nearby fire station, where paramedics attempted to revive them.

Both children were then sent to hospitals. The year-old girl was pronounced dead, and the 2-year-old boy is in the intensive care unit at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

While at the fire station, the mother’s friend disappeared. He is being sought by sheriff’s investigators.

Initially the mother told investigators that the incident occurred at a community swimming pool in a nearby mobile home park. She later admitted that she had lied and that the incident occurred at the friend’s home.

The mother explained that she did not want to get her friend in trouble, according to Lt. Glenn Giannantonio. A marijuana-growing operation was found at the home, and narcotics detectives were summoned, he said.

tony.perry@latimes.com