A boy playing in the water near Whatcom Park waterfalls died Friday afternoon and investigators are working to determine what exactly caused his death.
Officers said that it is unclear whether the child was swept away by the current or accidentally drowned while he was playing in the pond near the 4-foot waterfalls.
“The child was not swimming or jumping off anything and this is a tragic accident,” Deputy Chief Don Almer said.
“It is unknown how the child got into deeper waters. We believe he was splashing and playing in shallow areas.”
Almer said that the victim was with his family at Bellingham park for a gathering. The boy’s body was located within a half-hour of the search, at around 3 p.m.
“Sadly, advanced life-saving measures were not enough and the child was deceased,” Almer added.
“It’s a tragedy. I can’t even conceive what they’re going through. Out of respect for the family in their time of unimaginable grief and loss, I am only stating the child’s age as under 16.”
