2-year-old child who drowned in Cumberland County got out through doggie door
HOPE MILLS, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is investigating a 2-year-old's death after the child was pulled from a swimming pool behind a family home Thursday morning.
It happened around 8:20 a.m. in the 800 block of Alexwood Drive, off Elk Road in Hope Mills.
Authorities told ABC11 that Jacob Hoagland got outside through a doggie door and fell into an above-ground pool that was attached to the house by a deck.
They said the child's father was doing CPR when deputies arrived. Deputies then started doing CPR until EMS arrived.
The child was rushed to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
A neighbor told ABC11 that she warned the Hoagland family about their pool's upkeep, including its cleanliness and the doggie door leading to the deck.
"I actually got into a verbal altercation with them and asked them to do something about that pool," said neighbor Mandy Campbell. "It's dangerous and you have two toddlers. There's a doggie door and there's no gate around the pool. I wish I stabbed the pool and drained it myself. I should've."
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is following up with a warning one of their own.
"When you own a swimming pool, you need to take every precaution that you can," said Sergeant Sean Swain. "The county says you have to have a 48-inch fence. If you have doors exiting out to the swimming pool, you need to have alarms on them."
The Sheriff's Office and the Department of Social Services are investigating. No charges have been filed.
