2-year-old boy drowns in Thurston County lake

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A 2-year-old boy drowned Saturday morning in a lake near Yelm, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened around 10:15 a.m. at Horseshoe Lake, a small lake next to Clear Lake, in the 1700 block of Overlake Court Southeast.

The boy separated from his brother and cousin while playing, according to Sgt. Alvin Griffin of Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

“The 2-year-old had been playing with his brother and his cousin, and slipped away. The parents realized he wasn’t there. They went looking for him, and the mother found him in the water,” Griffin said.

The mother pulled him out of the water and started CPR until medics arrived.

When medics got to the scene, they could not revive the boy.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News spoke with Jonathan Cho, who owns a convenience store outside of the gated community.

“I know the family,” Cho said. “I’m so sad, he’s so handsome.”

Cho said the toddler’s mother worked for him several years ago. Even though the mother doesn’t work at the store anymore, she and her children are regular customers.

Neighbors told KIRO 7 the water in Horseshoe Lake is deep and used more by fishermen than by swimmers. The lake is surrounded by houses and trails.

KIRO