A three-year-old boy has tragically died after falling into his neighbor’s septic tank.
The child was playing outside with his four-year-old brother at their home in Lakewood, Washington, on Sunday, according to ABC 45 News.
Their grandmother was reportedly periodically checking on the pair but at some point the three-year-old went into the neighbor’s yard and removed the tank’s lid.
His brother alerted their grandmother when the younger child fell inside and she called 911 at around 2.21pm. The child’s body was retrieved at 3.05 pm.
The tragedy comes just two days after a two-year-old boy from Northumberland County, Virginia, died following a similar incident.
A three-year-old from Washington died on Sunday after falling into a septic tank while playing with his four-year-old brother
Three-year-old Kenna Wilson died in December 2023 after falling into a septic tank, leaving her mother, Jill Humphries, devastated
The two-year-old toddler had managed to open the lid of a septic tank near his home on September 6 before falling inside, according to WTVR News.
His father pulled him out and attempted CPR.
The police were called at around 3.50 pm and the child was taken to the hospital where he died.
Northumberland County Sheriff Johnny Beauchamp told WWBT News: ‘Upon arrival of first responders, the child had already been removed from a septic tank and CPR was in progress.
‘EMS transported the child to a local hospital. Despite their best efforts, the child died at the hospital.’
About 50 children die by falling into septic tanks each year
The death of the Washington 3-year-old comes just two days after a 2-year-old from Virginia died in similar circumstances
In December 2023, an Indiana mother tried to press charges against her babysitter niece after her three-year-old daughter was found dead in a septic tank while in her care.
The child, Kenna Wilson, is believed to have pulled the lid off a septic tank and either fell in or got in on purpose.
Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel said at the time he understood Jill Humphries’ disappointment that charges were not filed against the babysitter, who was a minor.
But while his ‘heart goes out to her,’ there are ‘some situations that are terrible accidents,’ he added.
About 50 children die from falling into septic tanks each year, according to The Beasley Firm.
