Divers Recover Body of 5-Year-old Who Drowned in a Retention Pond

Divers from the Manatee County Sheriffs Office have recovered the body of  five year-old girl who drowned in a retention pond near her home after two neighbrs jumped into the water and tried to save her.

The little girl apparenty went in the back yard of her Braden River Lakes home, 4419 9th Ave. E., to play shortly after 1 p.m. today. She was playing along the banks of the retention pond when she went into the water and then immediately went under water. Two neighbors who were working outdoors in their yards when they saw the child slip under water, said Lt. John Affolter with the Bradenton Police Department.

The neighbors immediately called 9-1-1 and even jumped into the pond to try to save her. They couldn't locate her. When Bradenton Police arrived they searched for the child and called in divers from the Manatee County Sheriff's office.The child did not know how to swim, Affolter said.

Affolter said that the two divers found the little girl's body at 2:45 p.m. within 10 minutes of beginning their search. At that point she had been under water for nearly 90 minutes.

"It was a tragic accident," Affolter said. "Five years old is big enough to come in and out of the house to play. She couldn't swim, so once she got in over her head she drowned."

Bradenton Police are not releasing the child's name at this time. The girl's father was at home at the time of the accident. Her mother was out of town but has been notified, Affolter said.