Barking dog by canal leads to mother’s heartbreaking discovery, Florida sheriff says

The search for a missing 2-year-old boy came to a heartbreaking end when a barking dog led to his body in a remote Florida canal, according to officials.

It’s suspected he drowned around 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, after slipping out of his family’s yard in the Osteen area, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office reported in a Facebook post. Osteen is about a 35-mile drive northeast from Orlando.

The discovery was made as deputies and volunteers were searching the 10-acre property, which is accessed via an unpaved dead-end road.

“Around 6:15 p.m., the boy’s mother noticed one of the family’s dogs was wet, and the other was barking at the bank of a retention canal. She then saw him in the water and rushed in to pull him out,” the sheriff’s office reports.

“She and a neighbor brought him to the bank, where deputies began CPR. Due to the terrain and distance from a main road, deputies transported him in a patrol vehicle while continuing life-saving measures until meeting emergency medical personnel.”

The boy was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead at 7:04 p.m.

It is believed to be an accidental drowning, but investigators have not said how the boy entered the water.

“Findings of the investigation indicate he was playing in a fenced backyard with the dogs while his mother kept the back door open and checked on him regularly,” the sheriff’s office says.

“While playing, he was able to open a gate and travel about 300 feet to a canal that was obstructed from view by brush and trees.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Barking dog by canal leads to mother’s heartbreaking discovery, Florida sheriff says."