1-year-old boy dies of apparent drowning in Gage Park pool; DCFS investigating

Child welfare authorities were investigating after a 1-year-old boy died in an apparent drowning Saturday afternoon in the Southwest Side Gage Park neighborhood.

The baby had been left alone with an 11-year-old sibling about 12:30 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Artesian when the sibling left him unsupervised outside, according to Chicago police.

The 1-year-old then crawled into a pool, where he apparently drowned, police said. He was dead at the scene.

An autopsy did not rule on the final cause and manner of the boy’s death pending toxicology testing, although it appeared to be consistent with drowning, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The boy lived in the same neighborhood.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is investigating an allegation of neglect in connection with the child’s death, department spokeswoman Alissandra Calderon said. The investigation was pending and the department has not had any prior contact with the family.