Vandalia police and EMS responded just after 11 a.m. Saturday to the 1100 block of Crestwood Hills Drive for a reported drowning.
Officers began lifesaving measures on the girl once they arrived. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
A woman at the house told investigators she was doing chores while the girl was sleeping in the living room, according to an incident report.
When she checked on the girl around 10:30 a.m., the girl was reportedly still sleeping. The woman checked on her again around 11 a.m. but the girl was no longer on the couch.
After the woman didn’t see the girl when she looked in the backyard and out the front door she woke up a man sleeping in the house to help her search. When they went out to the backyard she saw the girl facedown in the pool, according to the report.
Investigators noted a piece of plywood was covering the stairs leading to the pool. The man reportedly put the plywood there because the pool wasn’t opened yet.
The water was about 3 feet deep in the area where the girl was reportedly found.
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