MONROE COUNTY — Emergency responders rushed to a rural Monroe County neighborhood Monday afternoon, July 28, 2025, after a one-year-old child was found unresponsive in a swimming pool, authorities said.
At approximately 3:32 p.m. on July 28, 2025, Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputies, Monroe County EMS, and the Waterloo Police Department were dispatched to the Country Lake Subdivision following a report of the child’s drowning. While en route, dispatchers informed officers that the child’s family had placed the infant in a vehicle and was driving toward town to meet emergency medical services.
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Within two minutes of dispatch, officers located the vehicle in the 500 block of East 4th Street in Waterloo and immediately removed the child. Deputies and police officers began administering CPR and applied an automated external defibrillator. The child briefly showed signs of possible responsiveness and expelled what appeared to be water during the rescue efforts.
Life-saving measures continued roadside until Monroe County EMS arrived shortly thereafter. A coordinated effort was made to expedite transport to a St. Louis area hospital, with a sheriff’s department supervisor directing traffic control and a deputy escorting the ambulance with lights and sirens to ensure the fastest route.
Despite the responders’ efforts, the child later died at the hospital. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department extended gratitude to the Waterloo and Columbia police departments for their assistance with traffic control.
Sheriff Neal Rohlfing expressed condolences to the family, noting that many first responders were fathers themselves, which made the incident especially emotional.
A full review of the case will be conducted by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department Investigation Division. Authorities said there are no signs of foul play and described the incident as a tragic accident.
Sgt. Justin Biggs of the Investigation Division provided the statement on behalf of the department.
