Mr Bean at the Swimming Pool
CLEVELAND — A New Year’s Eve birthday celebration turns tragic after a 10-year-old Cleveland boy drowns at a hotel pool.
The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office says around 11 p.m., Demeion Bell was found unresponsive in the deep end of the pool at the DoubleTree Hotel on Lakeside Avenue in Cleveland.
The victim and his family were celebrating a birthday party with five other families.
Delores Drake says she is devastated by the loss of her grandson. “He was very special to me,” said Drake.
Police say Demeion and his 7-year-old brother were swimming with a large group of kids. According to witnesses, four adults were there monitoring the children.
Demeion’s mother showed up at the hotel around 9 p.m. At that time, Demeion’s 7-year-old brother told his mother he didn’t know where he was.
A short time later, Demeion’s mother alerted hotel security. After searching the pool, his body was discovered at the bottom of the pool, in 9-feet-deep water.
Authorities say hotel employees pulled the boy from the pool, and attempted CPR. Emergency crews were also called to the scene.
The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office says the boy was in full arrest when he arrived at MetroHealth Medical Center. He was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.
The sign inside the pool states that any child under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Hotel personnel would not comment on whether adults were present at the time of the drowning.
Demeion’s grandmother said, “He was a good swimmer but he always used to tell me, ‘Grandma, when I get in the deep water, I’m going to do flips.'”
The incident is still under investigation. The Coroner’s Office says an autopsy should be completed sometime within the next few days. Cleveland Police says it appears to be a probable accidental drowning.
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