Following powerful storms in Northern Virginia on Thursday afternoon, parents found that their son had drowned in a pond.
The 3-year-old boy died after he was found face down in a pond near his family’s townhouse in South Riding, Virginia.
The child, who was not immediately identified, slipped out of the house as his mother went to retrieve a garbage can that had blown away during the storm, neighbors said.
When the family discovered the boy was missing, they began searching for him. A neighbor joined in the effort and he and the boy’s father found the little boy face down in the shallow water at 2:15 p.m.
“The father pulled the boy out of the water,” neighbor Sasi Gopinadam said. “The boy was lying on the ground, and they were trying to do the CPR by pressing 30 times on the chest.”
Another neighbor then called 911, and the dispatcher gave instructions to try to save the child.
The boy was rushed to a hospital, but it was already too late and the child was pronounced dead.
Neighbors said the boy is survived by a twin sister.
“It’s a very sad day,” Gopinadam said.