Fla. Boy, 2, Drowns in Family Member’s Pool, Police Say: ‘Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare'

Authorities believe the toddler may have broken through multiple barriers before entering the water

Authorities in southwest Florida say a 2-year-old boy has drowned after falling into a family member’s pool on Sunday.

The incident occurred at a home in the 14300 block of Southwest 170th Terrace in Miami around 10 a.m. local time, according to a news release from the Miami-Dade Police Department obtained by PEOPLE.

Miami-Dade Detective Andre Martin told FOX affiliate WSVN that a family member “went to go check on the child,” only to learn the toddler was not where they should have been.

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The adult eventually found the child in the pool, according to ABC affiliate WPLG. The toddler was unresponsive when he was pulled from the water.

Officers observed the unresponsive toddler upon arriving at the scene and “immediately began resuscitative efforts until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel landed on scene,” according to the MDPD.

The child was airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

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A family friend told NBC affiliate WTVJ that the boy’s name is Santiago and that his family is from Cuba.

"I can't believe it," the friend told the station. She later added, "I don't know what happened, but I do know that they are amazing parents and grandparents—an excellent family," she said.

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Authorities believe the child “may have exited through not one, but two barriers and made his way out to this pool,” Martin told WSVN.

"It's every parent's worst nightmare," Martin said, according to NBC affiliate WESH. "This looks like a very, very tragic accident."

An investigation into the toddler’s death is ongoing, MDPD said.

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