18-month-old girl drowns in condo complex fountain

Jen Lawson

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 11:17 a.m.

An 18-month-old girl drowned in a fountain at a Las Vegas condominium complex Thursday, and her parents are being investigated for possible neglect.

The girl was unresponsive when the Clark County Fire Department arrived just before noon at the gated Altair condominium complex at West Flamingo Road and Tenaya Way.

Fire department spokesman Robert Leinbach said the girl and her 3-year-old brother got out of their condominium while their parents were asleep, then made their way to the fountain, about 500 feet from their home.

"It's a warm day, and the water was inviting to them," he said. The children had played in the fountain in the past, investigators were told.

It's not clear how long the children were out of their home before the little girl drowned, but a neighbor told investigators she had seen the children around the fountain about 30 minutes earlier, Leinbach said.

A neighbor or passer-by called 911.

The fire department and Metro Police found the girl's lifeless body in the water. She was treated at the scene, in the ambulance and at University Medical Center.

"She didn't respond, and it was painfully apparent that she didn't make it," Leinbach said.

Her brother wasn't injured.

Neighbors helped investigators find the children's home, and they discovered the parents asleep inside. Investigators woke them up and told them what happened. They were devastated, Leinbach said.

Investigators noticed a deadbolt lock on the door, out of a child's reach, but it wasn't locked.

"If the door had been deadbolted, they wouldn't have gotten out," Leinbach said.

Detectives are investigating possible neglect charges, Lt. Jeff Carlson of Metro's abuse and neglect unit said. The district attorney's office will decide whether or not to file charges against the children's parents.

Police and fire officials had the apartment fountain blocked off with police tape and were interviewing residents early Thursday afternoon. The property manager said through police that reporters weren't permitted in the complex.

The most common age group for child drownings is 18 months to 4 years, Leinbach said, and the most common time of day is afternoon.

"It's hard to protect and guard a child all the time," he said. "It's a tragic and sad situation and I wish it hadn't happened."