Medical Incident/Near Drowning in Stewartville

On April 7, 2021, at approximately 4:11 pm, Olmsted County Deputies, Stewartville First Responders, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service were dispatched to a medical incident at the 700 block of Willow Green Court Northeast in Stewartville, Minn. The initial emergency call reported that an 18-month male child had fallen into a retention pond located behind the residences on Willow Creek Court Northeast. The initial call also reported that CPR was in progress by people at the scene.

Upon the arrival of the deputies and Stewartville First Responders, CPR efforts were taken over by First Responder personnel while awaiting the arrival of Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service. The Mayo One helicopter was also sent to the scene to provide advanced lifesaving capabilities and personnel. The child was transported in emergency fashion, by Mayo Clinic via ground, to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. As of the writing of the release, the child is in critical condition, in a medically induced coma, with some strong signs of organ function that we hope to be promising for the child.

The initial investigation has determined that the child was being babysat, by an adult, female, that is a family friend. The child, the adult female, and the adult female’s own child were outside in the backyard of the residence. The adult female was distracted for a very short period of time and she lost sight of the child. The adult female assumed the child had gone to the front of the residence, so she went to look for the child at the front of the residence. When she did not locate the child at the front of the residence, she immediately called the father of the child. It should be noted that the father of the child was already on his way to the residence to pick up the child, so his response to the residence was very quick.

When the father arrived, he immediately went to the retention pond and located the child in the water. At this point, the father and/or other persons present began CPR. At this time, it is estimated that the child was in the water for no longer than five (5) minutes.

This investigation is still ongoing and will take time for Sheriff’s Office investigators to complete. The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office will not be releasing the identity of the child, the child’s parents, or the adult female as this is an ongoing investigation.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office will be very respectful to the family’s request for privacy and we ask that all persons interested in the investigation do the same. We also ask that the public be wise in social media comments as this is an extremely difficult situation for the family and social media negativity is just not warranted.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office extends our appreciation to the Stewartville First Responder volunteers that provided life-saving efforts as well as the medical professionals from the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service. The medical care provided at the scene and while transporting the child to St. Marys, has given the child a fighting chance at survival.

Finally, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office sends our strong support to the family of the child during the awful time. We pray for the little one and those that love him.

Thank you.