Fifth-grade boy dies in Warren Co. culvert drain accident

Services for Wade Ryan Boswell will be Wednesday.
An 11-year-old boy who lost his life after drowning in a culvert drain accident last Friday evening in Wayne Twp. FILE

Credit: wsfurlan / E+ / Getty Images

Credit: wsfurlan / E+ / Getty Images

An 11-year-old boy who lost his life after drowning in a culvert drain accident last Friday evening in Wayne Twp. FILE

Memorial services have been scheduled Wednesday for an 11-year-old Waynesville boy who died after drowning in a culvert drain accident Friday evening in Wayne Twp.

The boy, Wade Ryan Boswell, was remembered Monday by his classmates at Waynesville Elementary School where he was a fifth-grader.

A representative of the Wayne Local Schools said there were counselors and pastors at the elementary school to help students grieve over the loss of the classmate. The representative described the boy as “a great kid” and said his death “was an unfortunate accident at home.”

According to a Warren County Sheriff’s Office incident report, first responders were called by a parent about 6:15 p.m. Friday to East Ohio 73 near Township Line Road and Carter Drive for a missing child. A parent found the boy’s iPad on the driveway, and he had been last seen next to a drain near a pond about 25 minutes before, according to the report.

The person who called the Warren County Communications Center expressed worry that the boy may have fallen into a nearby creek, according to the report.

The report said first responders when they pulled the boy out of the water he was not breathing. Responders began performing CPR on him in an effort to revive him.

The boy was taken to Dayton Children’s South Campus in Springboro, where he was pronounced dead.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has not determined the cause and manner of the boy’s death. The case remains under investigation by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Wade was described in his obituary as “Bubbly, sweet, empathetic, and always happy.” He “was often goofy and enjoyed clowning around with friends and family. He was highly compassionate toward his family and never hesitated to express his love for them.”

It also said over the past several years, he played basketball, baseball and his favorite sport, soccer.

He loved playing outside and was especially fond of swinging on the playground equipment. Wade also liked playing video games on his Xbox, Pokemon, Hot Wheels, and Legos. His favorite extracurricular was fishing with his dad, the obituary said.

Wade “will be remembered for his love of monkeys, lizards, and toy skeletons during Halloween, his beloved dog, Captain, and his sweet smile, which he always seemed to display,” it said.

He is survived by his parents, Ryan Boswell and Nicole Boswell; his sister, Samantha Boswell; and grandparents, Susan and Mark Valiante and Don and Judy Boswell.

A visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. Wednesday at Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home in Waynesville. A celebration of life service will be held immediately following the visitation at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers and in recognition of Wade’s love of swinging on the swings at school, contributions in his memory are encouraged to be made to the Wayne Local Schools Playground Project, 625 Dayton Road, Waynesville, OH 45068.

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