An Illinois toddler has died after wandering away from his family and drowning in the Lake of the Ozarks, according to Missouri police.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) was alerted to reports of a drowning at the reservoir in Camden County, located in central Missouri, at about 9:45 a.m. local time on Sunday.
In a report seen by Newsweek, the MSHP said the 2-year-old boy from Fairview Heights, Illinois, referred to as "Victim 1" was with his family before drowning. The incident occurred at the Grand Glaize Arm part of the lake.
The MSHP drowning incident report read: "Victim 1 wandered away from [his] family and was later located in the water."
Newsweek reached out to the Missouri State Highway Patrol via email for comment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that more children aged between 1 and 4 in the United States die from drowning than any other cause. There are an average of 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings, an average of 11 drowning deaths per day, according to the CDC.
The MSHP said the boy was transported by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach but was later pronounced dead after arrival at around 11:30 a.m.
The death on Sunday was the first reported drowning at the Lake of the Ozarks in 2023, according to the MSHP. But the death is the second fatal incident at Lake of the Ozarks this weekend with MSHP officers also having responded to a fatality involving a boat.
Nicollete McKenna, 44, of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, died on Saturday night after a boat struck a large wake and then the breakwater, according to the MSHP. The department said the boat had been operating too close to a dock at the time of the incident and was totaled.
Two other passengers in the boat, a 21-year-old male and a 49-year-old male, both from Kansas City, were taken to Lake Regional Hospital with minor injuries.
Boat driver Bobby Childers, 60, also from Sunrise Beach, was later apprehended on suspicion of boating while intoxicated and boating in a careless manner. He suffered moderate injuries in the crash.
Police did not comment on whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the toddler's death.
The Lake Ozark Fire Protection District said there are several things people can do to be safer in the water, including not swimming alone, wearing a life vest if you're an inexperienced swimmer, staying hydrated, knowing where it's safe to dive, and never leaving children unattended. Knowing "when your body has had enough and to get out" is also crucial to prevent drowning, according to the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District.
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