Skip to main content
Partly Cloudy icon
34º

7-year-old boy drowns in Lapeer County pond while catching frogs at family reunion

Deputies say boy was catching frogs with 6-year-old cousin

A Lapeer County Sheriff's Office vehicle. (WDIV)

ELBA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 7-year-old boy drowned over the weekend in a Lapeer County pond while catching frogs with his cousin at a family reunion, deputies said.

Lapeer County deputies were called at 3:06 p.m. Saturday to a home on Oregon Road near Millville Road in Elba Township.

Recommended Videos



Family members said they were having a reunion with multiple people at the home when a 7-year-old boy and his 6-year-old cousin went to a pond a few hundred feet away to catch frogs.

The pond was on the family's property and the children weren't swimming, police said. They were walking along the shoreline to try to catch the frogs, family members said.

The 7-year-old boy went into the water to try to catch a frog and fell below the surface, officials said.

The 6-year-old returned to the house to tell adults, who called 911, according to authorities.

Members of the Lapeer County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, K-9 Division and search team went to the pond to search for the boy. Officials locked arms to form a chain and searched along the shoreline.

Deputies said the pond is between 10 and 15 feet deep.

A Michigan State Police trooper located the child around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, officials said. He was in the area pointed out by the 6-year-old child.

Police brought the boy to shore and transported him to McLaren Hospital in Lapeer County while performing lifesaving efforts, according to authorities.

The boy was pronounced dead just after 4 p.m. Saturday in the emergency room.

An autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning, officials said.

Lapeer County officials are continuing to investigate the incident.


About the Author
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

Loading...

Recommended Videos