INDIANAPOLIS — A 5-year-old boy died Saturday afternoon after drowning in a Hendricks County creek.
At approximately 12:16 p.m. Saturday, first responders were dispatched to the 9700 block of Hidden Hills Lane on a report of two children in a creek.
According to Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy located a 5-year-old boy in a creek and pulled him from the moving water around 12:30. He was unresponsive and taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The second child, the 5-year-old boy’s 3-year-old sister made it out of the creek. She was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office has identified the boy as Yoel Michael from Brownsburg.
Danny Brock with the Brownsburg Fire Territory said the water the child was taken out of was high due to recent rain showers.
“Swift moving water, undercurrents…that can, especially with young kids and even adults, take you downstream pretty quick and it’s unknown how deep that water is,” Brock said.
As summer approaches, officials said people will likely be around water more in the form of swimming pools, lakes and rivers. Brock said water safety should be top of mind.
“Be mindful of the fast moving water with the recent rain and the warm weather, and the propensity for people to want to go out and play, cool off, and get in the water,” Brock said. “Creeks are not the place you want to be right now.”.
How the children ended up in the water is still under investigation. The Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office said Brownsburg Police, the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Child Services are assisting in the investigation.
