An Ohio family is mourning the loss of their 2-year-old after the little boy sneaked away while his mother was sleeping and drowned in a neighbor’s pool.
According to police officials, the little boy left the house on October 4 while his mother was sleeping. He was later found at the bottom of his neighbor’s pool and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police were called to the area just an hour before the boy was found unattended. They told the boy’s mother to be more careful.
The grieving father said he would remember Marcus Anthony Hall – also known as Mar Mar – by his smile.
“He was a cool little guy,” the child’s father, Anthony Hall, said of his 2-year-old son, who had just celebrated his birthday in July.
Two-year-old Marcus Anthony Hall and his older brother left their home on October 4 while their mother was sleeping
A neighbor called 911 when she saw one of the children being taken home. An hour later, the mother called police and said she couldn’t find Marcus, who drowned in the neighbor’s pool
Oregon Police Chief Brian Begin said an officer jumped into the pool, handed the child to another officer and performed CPR on the way to the hospital – but Marcus later died
On Tuesday, Hall was at work while Marcus and his four-year-old brother were home alone with their mother.
He said the children left their home in Oregon, Ohio, while their mother was sleeping.
At 10:34 a.m., a neighbor spotted one of the boys, called 911 and told dispatchers, “There’s a baby outside, just in a diaper, chasing a dog. ‘There are no adults.’
An officer arrived and told the mother to be more careful. He recommended that she consider installing safety devices.
At 11:27 a.m. – less than an hour later – Oregon police received a second call from the mother.
“I was woken up by the police knocking on my door here because they said there were kids running around outside, and when I woke up it was just my 4-year-old here,” she said.
“So your two-year-old is missing? the dispatcher asked.
“Yes,” the woman replied.
When officers returned to the scene, they found the two-year-old drowned in the neighbor’s pool.
The boy’s father, Anthony Hall, described Marcus – nicknamed “Mar Mar” – as “a cool little guy”.
Police said Child Protective Services is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death
“It doesn’t help that I wake up every morning and see the neighbor’s pool where this happened,” the boy’s father posted on Facebook. “Still with a ladder in it”
Police Chief Brandon Begin said an officer jumped into the water, handed the child to another officer and performed CPR as they rushed to the hospital.
Marcus drowned in a white above-ground pool with a small ladder. While the yard was fenced, the pool itself was not fenced.
A complaint was filed with the city because Ohio state law requires every private swimming pool to be surrounded by a fence. It is currently unclear whether charges have been brought against the mother or the neighbor.
The youth welfare office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death, police said.
A memorial service is planned for October 10th.
Hall has created a GoFundMe to get help with expenses. “I don’t know how to explain this, but I’ll try as best as I can,” he wrote. So far, the campaign has raised $1,840 of its $2,500 goal.
“My name is Anthony Hall, Marcus’ father,” the page said. “I just want my baby to rest. I can’t imagine what was going through his mind.”
Hall also posted on Facebook thanking those who donated and supported the family during the tragedy.
He said he broke down every time he saw a photo of his son.
“It doesn’t help that I wake up every morning and see the neighbor’s pool where this happened,” Hall wrote. “Still with a ladder in it.”