Tragedy struck at a family gathering in Lufkin yesterday evening as emergency services responded to reports of a toddler drowning in a nearby pond. Jacob Reyes, a 2-year-old from Lufkin, was discovered unresponsive in the water around 7 p.m. at the 500 block of Renfro Drive.
Family members immediately initiated life-saving measures upon finding the child, which were continued by arriving officers and taken over by Lufkin Fire paramedics. Despite efforts to save him, Reyes was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to the incident shortly thereafter.
Detectives arrived at the scene to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Their initial findings suggest that the toddler had been playing with other young family members in the yard and may have accidentally fallen into the pond while in pursuit of a chicken.
The incident is being treated as a tragic accident by authorities.
