Toddler found in lake dies

SAGLE — A Bonner County toddler has died after being found face-down in Jewel Lake on April 27.

Bonner County Sheriff’s Det. Sgt. Gary Johnston said the 15-month-old boy had been shown frogs at the water’s edge by his father on an earlier occasion. It’s believed the boy let himself out of the lakeside home in search of the amphibians and ended up in the water.

“It’s a sad story,” said Johnston.

The child’s father told investigators he awoke that morning to go to work at around 7 a.m. and kissed his wife and son as they lay in bed. About 20 minutes later, the mother awoke and discovered the boy missing, Johnston said. She found the boy and took him ashore, where cardiopulmonary resuscitation was done with some degree of success.

Johnston said CPR expelled some of the water from his lungs and a Lifeflight Network helicopter was used to evacuate the child to Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene. Johnston said the child was transferred to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where he later died.

“He was on life support for a while, but he succumbed,” said Johnston.

Johnston said the residence where the family was staying was a stone’s throw from the north end of the lake, but that the child was generally well supervised.

“It’s an unfortunate accident,” Johnston said.

Johnston sympathized for the child’s father, noting that he had done what many fathers do with young children in idyllic outdoor settings — explore and admire them. He said the incident also underscores how quickly an accidents can happen.