A 2-year-old boy died Sunday, more than two weeks after he and his 3-year-old sister were pulled from a backyard pool in Rockdale County, the sheriff’s office said.
Jose “Ju” Salas Morales and his sister were unconscious when a sheriff’s deputy arrived at the home in the 3500 block of Blackberry Lane on April 25. Rockdale sheriff’s Lt. Scott Stewart said the girl was showing some signs of life, but the boy was in rough shape.
“The mother came outside screaming that her child drowned in the pool,” he told Channel 2. “I was there in 20 or 30 seconds.”
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After giving instructions to another adult to keep the girl on her side, the deputy performed CPR on the boy until paramedics arrived. Both children were taken to Piedmont Rockdale Hospital before being flown to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. The 3-year-old was released from the hospital four days later. Ju was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff’s office said. He would have turned 3 on Thursday.
His mother’s boyfriend, 21-year-old Trevor Bohannon, was supposed to be watching him and his sister the afternoon they found their way into the pool, according to the sheriff’s office.
MORE: Man was allegedly smoking pot while 2 toddlers nearly drowned in pool
Credit: Rockdale County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Rockdale County Sheriff's Office
Bohannon is accused of smoking marijuana and leaving the children unsupervised for about 45 minutes, a sheriff’s spokeswoman told the news station. He was arrested initially on charges of reckless conduct, cruelty to children in the second degree and a probation violation. According to jail records, he now also faces a second-degree murder charge.
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist Ju's family with funeral expenses. As of Wednesday, $2,190 had been raised. The goal is $7,000.
A fundraiser is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the sheriff’s office south precinct, 3552 Ga. 20, Conyers.
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