An 8-year-old boy died Saturday when a tombstone fell over and struck him during a birthday party in Arkansas, according to sheriff's deputies.
The boy was playing around 4 p.m. in a cemetery behind Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Lynn, where the birthday party was being held, when the gravestone broke and hit him, the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office told Imboden Live.
Family members performed CPR on the child, who was not identified. He was flown to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church's minister described the child as a "rambunctious young man" who was "full of life" in an interview with KAIT.
"There is definitely a lot of prayer being sent up on behalf of their family," the Rev. Jeff Neely told the news station. "(We're) just trying to love them and let them know that we support them, and trying to comfort them and give peace as best we can."
Investigators believe the death was an accident and no foul play is suspected.
About the Author
