Toddler drowns in Glendale

A 15-month-old Glendale boy drowned Wednesday after he was found in the family's pool by his mother.

The case was the first drowning incident in Glendale this year and the first death in several years, said Daniel Valenzuela, fire department spokesman.

Valenzuela said the 21-year-old mother called 911 after she found the boy floating in the unfenced pool at their home near 46th Avenue and Mission Lane. The woman said she and her son had been napping together and at some point he had awoke and wandered off.

Valenzuela said the child had just learned to walk.

Police determined that the child went outside through a door left open for pets by the homeowner, a 47-year-old great grandmother of the victim.

The mother pulled the child from the pool and moved him to the front yard when emergency crews arrived on the scene. CPR was administered immediately, Valenzuela said. The child was transported to John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

"This is an eerie reminder that it only takes a second and an inch of water for a disaster," Valenzuela said. "We must watch children around water, especially with the warmer weather starting."

Glendale police have investigated the scene to determine if anything criminal occurred, police spokesman Matt Barnett said. The findings are being forwarded to the Maricopa County Attorney's office for review. That office will determine whether any criminal charges will be filed.

"It may just be a tragic accident, and we'll leave it at that," Barnett said.