A B.C. grandmother who police believe jumped into a swimming pool in an attempt to save her grandchild has died, RCMP said Tuesday.
The incident occurred Sunday evening, when a 20-month-old boy and his 51-year-old grandmother were found unconscious, floating in an apartment complex outdoor pool in Surrey.
Police say both were fully clothed, suggesting the woman, who did not know how to swim, jumped into the pool after the toddler accidentally fell in.
They were first pulled from the water by children who had kicked a soccer ball onto the pool deck. The pool belongs to an apartment building in the 10500-block of 152nd St.
Paramedics and firefighters quickly arrived on the scene and performed CPR on both the toddler and his grandmother on the pool deck before rushing them to hospital. The child did not respond to attempts to save his life, while his grandmother was admitted to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, where she remained in critical condition on Monday.
On Tuesday, Surrey RCMP confirmed the woman had died. Both victims’ names have not been released at the request of the family.
Reporting from Vancouver, CTV News' Brent Shearer said Monday that police do not suspect foul play. Investigators believe “the two may have been floating in the unsupervised pool for an extended period of time," he said.
On Monday, another incident in Surrey saw a two-year-old girl pulled from a pool and taken to BC Children’s Hospital in serious condition. The girl, visiting from Calgary, reportedly slipped under a pool cover, but was quickly found by family members.
Also on Sunday, an 18-month-old girl drowned in Laval, Que. The toddler was found unconscious in her family’s backyard pool on Sunday afternoon. Attempts to save her life failed, and she was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later.
