MARGATE, Fla. – A man hugged a grieving mother on Tuesday night in Broward County who through tears said, “Why God? Why? Why did my baby die?”
On Wednesday morning, detectives were investigating the death of her beloved 2-year-old son, Legend, in Margate.
Margate Police Department officers responded after the boy appeared to have drowned in a pool at a house along Northwest 79th Avenue.
“It shocked me -- it’s a big loss for me,” said Anthony Johnson, the boy’s grandfather. “He was a nice man. He made himself happy. He knew how to play by himself and keep himself happy.”
According to Johnson, a caregiver was said to be watching the child, though it remains unclear how he got into the water.
“She thought the kid was with me in my room -- that’s what she said,” said Johnson. “She thought he was with me.”
A police officer performed CPR on the boy until fire rescue personnel arrived and took him to Broward Health Coral Springs, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner’s office was tasked with determining the boy’s cause of death.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more children ages 1-4 die from drowning than any other cause of death and Florida has one of the highest drowning death rates.
A GoFundMe has been created to help family members with expenses, and the page can be found by clicking here.