A West Point toddler drowned Sunday afternoon as he and his family were boating in the Tombigbee River.
Landon Henson, 3, of West Point, was pronounced dead shortly after 4 p.m. after he slipped away from his parents and became submerged in the water. Henson and his parents had parked their boat on a sandbar and were playing on the beach when the toddler disappeared. According to Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant, Henson’s parents noticed the child missing and found him in the water. Merchant said the child was underwater for a few minutes. He was not wearing a life jacket, Merchant said.
Henson was pulled from the water and CPR was administered. The child was put in a boat and transported down river to meet first responders. Henson was then taken to the riverside home of a physician. CPR was constantly administered, Merchant said.
Clay County ambulance services responded to the home and transported the child to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. He died shortly after arrival, Merchant said.
The toddler’s death has been ruled an accident, Merchant said.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.