Infant Drowns in Swimming Pool at In-Home Daycare - FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |

Leah Uko

Blair, NE (KPTM) - An 18-month-old baby girl fell into a swimming pool and drowned. Now police are trying to figure out how she got into the pool and who was supervising.

The accident happened Wednesday morning in a backyard pool at an in-home daycare center near 28^th Street and Sunrise Drive in Blair.

Police got the call around 10:30. Lieutenant Aaron Barrow of Blair Police Department said the girl was found four-feet under water in the backyard pool.

An officer who was working nearby heard the call on the scanner and drove on over. He performed CPR until paramedics came and took her to Memorial Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

There were six other kids in care at the time. Lt. Barrow said the child did not have on any safety swimming gear and it appeared she got out onto the patio by accident before she fell in.

Neighbors said there are a lot of in-home daycare centers on their block similar to this one. Some—while devastated about the news—said they could see how this kind of accident could happen.

"I mean my pool is only a foot high and if I wasn't right here, you know, if I wasn't right there he could easily fall over the edge with his feet caught or something and get hurt, killed whatever," said Kathy Huhnerkopf who runs an in-home daycare center down the street.

To be courteous, police said, the daycare owners called and notified all of the other six kids about the accident. Shortly after, all of them came and picked their kids up.

This came as no surprise to Eric Matzke who was shocked and saddened by the news.

"Losing a child is horrid. That's something that you live with the rest of your life. It's—from that day forward it's like—it's always there. I've lost a child I know."

Lt. Barrow said a couple about in their mid-fifties has run the licensed in-home daycare for more than 15 years. They've never had any accidental history.

Police said it is too early to tell if there was any criminal activity involved.

They have to interview every child and the three adults who were present at the time of the drowning and get the autopsy results back before they—along with Health and Human Services can take any further action.