10 yr old girl falls off boat & drowns, no one saw anything

[RaRaRamona]

http://www.wkrn.com/story/15396223/g...ll-lake-marina


This little girl had Angelman Syndrome. She could not speak or swim. She was not wearing a life jacket. Her parents are steadfastly claiming this was not a case of neglect. i find this hard to believe. By the parents own admission...

NO ONE SAW ANYTHING!

Wait Wut?

No one saw anything. Wow.

[RaRaRamona]

SMITHVILLE, Tenn. – Search crews have recovered the body of a 10-year-old girl who went missing from a DeKalb County marina Monday morning.

Elizabeth Grace Hathaway was last seen around 8:30 a.m. sitting on the edge of a houseboat at the Hidden Harbor Marina located on Center Hill Lake in Smithville, Tennessee, about 70 miles east of Nashville.

Hathaway's body was discovered in the water near the marina by rescuers just before 7 p.m. Monday.

"From what the divers said, she was near the back of the boat," Mike Beaty with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said.

Investigators told Nashville's News 2 divers had been searching the water, while crews from Rutherford and Putnam counties assisted the TWRA and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office in the search.

Officials said the rainy weather conditions made it difficult for crews to search.

"It was very difficult because we had all the boats in the marina. We had all the slips and the cables, electric lines and water lines. It was a really hard place to search," Beaty said.

Investigators are still unsure how Hathaway fell into the water.

The child's family was on the boat with her at the time of the incident, though no one saw anything.

TWRA officials told Nashville's News 2 Hathaway was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.

[Forever-27]

I think foul play.

They find snitches in ditches .... as they say

[cindyt]

I wonder if they were drinking?

My parents used to go camping and boating and drank like fish. I watched my two younger sisters, one of them just a toddler. It's a wonder something like this didn't happen to one of us.

[ryanolivia]

IMO, TOTAL NEGLECT! My girls are a bit younger than this child. They have no disabilities and they both swim well. There is no way in hell they would be on a boat without a life jacket. I would also never take my eyes off them around open water. I won't even turn my back for a minute when the girls are swimming in the crystal clear water in my own backyard. My heart truly does break for these parents but fuck people, watch your kids. Watch your children around water. Don't allow small children to play outside unsupervised. Make sure your KNOW who is caring for your children.

There are so many parents who wouldn't need to be sobbing on the 10 o'clock news is they would just do their fucking job!

[aedgar5000]

Poor girl never had a chance. Couldn't swim and couldn't scream for help. I'm curious for further details on why no one was watching her and how no one saw her drown.

[DrDeath]

Why in the name of all that is holy was a child who couldn't swim on the water without a life jacket?!!!

[deanfan]

Was there several times last year. Lots of houseboats with people hanging out on the weekends partying. They should've kept a closer eye on her, considering her condition.

[Oogie Boogie]

IMO, TOTAL NEGLECT! My girls are a bit younger than this child. They have no disabilities and they both swim well. There is no way in hell they would be on a boat without a life jacket. I would also never take my eyes off them around open water. I won't even turn my back for a minute when the girls are swimming in the crystal clear water in my own backyard. My heart truly does break for these parents but fuck people, watch your kids. Watch your children around water. Don't allow small children to play outside unsupervised. Make sure your KNOW who is caring for your children.

There are so many parents who wouldn't need to be sobbing on the 10 o'clock news is they would just do their fucking job!

What she said.

[neilmpenny]

Natalie Wood all over again, minus the drinking of course.

[Miho]

Problem solved

[missbazilb]

Interesting that she has a lifejacket on in the photo. Seriously! Some friends took us out boating on labour day, and I explained to my daughter that under no circumstances would she be taking off her lifejacket. Also, our friend made it absolutely clear that there was to be no alcohol on the boat whatsoever. He said that the patrols are very tough, and he usually gets checked everytime he's out.

I did not take my eyes off my daughter the entire time. We had fun, we swam, we ate, we sunbathed. But there was no way anything was going happen to my kid.

[McCourt]

My hinky meter is going off big time.

[Mammy]

Mine too, McCourt. It sounds like to me someone was tired of taking care of a special needs child or she would have been wearing a life jacket. They will probably get away with it, too.

[McCourt]

Mine too, McCourt. It sounds like to me someone was tired of taking care of a special needs child or she would have been wearing a life jacket. They will probably get away with it, too.

A special needs child was "accidentally" left in a van last summer here in Texas and died. I believe the parents were arrested and tried (but I can't remember positively).

[DonnaMc]

How sad for the little girl. I hope it wasn't a case of neglect.

[ryanolivia]

How sad for the little girl. I hope it wasn't a case of neglect.

If it wasn't neglect, it was a murder.

[RaRaRamona]

I think of her drowning, unable to call for help or help herself. What an unimaginable nightmare.

[DrDeath]

Oh don't! That's a haunting image.....

[havoc]

Rule #1 - Wear a lifejacket!

.

[ichabodius]

It was a houseboat according to the article. Do people constantly wear lifejackets on a houseboat. In the first pic in the article shes wearing a lifejacket. Symptoms of Angelmans Syndrome include poor balance, seizures and attraction to water. Not sure how severe here affliction was. Kids accidentally drown daily and its not due to murder or neglect.

[ichabodius]

If they are out on a boat and cant swim, just sayin', but maybes they should wear a life jacket?

Yeah but its a houseboat. Admittedly the article lacks info concerning its size. Sorry for the lack of proper punctuation but the sentence was proposed as an honest query.

[ichabodius]

No sorries needed Am just sayin that a boat with peeps that cant swim upon the vessel, lifejackets needed. Drowning is surely a horrific way to go, particularly with a wee one that cant shout for help

I agree completely but the article shows that she is familar with lifejackets but just wasnt wearing one in this instance. Im wondering how large the boat was. Maybe it was large enough for people to slip away unnoticed. I wouldnt imagine everyone would be wearing a lifejacket while lounging in a private room or family/common area or while sleeping. Was the houseboat owned or rented? How many outings have the family had on it? What was there familiarity and comfort level with the boat? What was the childs history of wandering off and getting into dangerous situations?

[ryanolivia]

It was a houseboat according to the article. Do people constantly wear lifejackets on a houseboat. In the first pic in the article shes wearing a lifejacket. Symptoms of Angelmans Syndrome include poor balance, seizures and attraction to water. Not sure how severe here affliction was. Kids accidentally drown daily and its not due to murder or neglect.

Kids do drown daily and 100% of them wouldn't, if a responsible adult was supervising them. If a child is around open water, an adult needs to have their eyes on them EVERY second. Especially if the child can't swim.

[ichabodius]

A ten year old can surely remove a lifejacket.
Regardless the article lacks much information relevant to our speculation.
Any one guess here as to the circumstances that lead to her death are as worthy as any other until more information is released.

[ichabodius]

Kids do drown daily and 100% of them wouldn't, if a responsible adult was supervising them. If a child is around open water, an adult needs to have their eyes on them EVERY second. Especially if the child can't swim.

Not really a provable statement. Its also very broad and I can cite incidents (tangential to the discussion of course) discrediting to this statement. Like I stated the article is very basic and lacking in information and until anything definitive is released any accusations against the parents are theory at best but mostly folly.

[ichabodius]

I guess that depends on the severity of the affliction.

[ichabodius]

I have put bold headers on the 100% and the 80% sections. I suggest you read the 100% part again. Even if 100% is seen as the lowest end of the spectrum, that still learning impaired by any stretch

That only means those symptoms are common to all people afflicted it does not represent any degree of severity.

[ichabodius]

Right....I guess maths has let me down and 100% doesn't mean all? Have I had a stroke or something?

Yes it means all people with this syndrome have these symptoms with differing degrees of severity. Some may be more independantly functional than others. Some may appear nearly normal while others are more profoundly affected. A symptom common to 100% of the population afflicted does not mean that 100% of the population afflicted suffer the most severe form.

[ichabodius]

Right!

You should read up properly on the "varying degrees"...not going to do the baby who couldn't swim or talk much good right enough, which is the point of this thread

I fully understand that certain symptoms are common to everyone with this syndrome hence the 100% frequency bolded in your uncited response and some symptoms are only seen in 80% of the population. Frequency is not synonymous with severity.

[ryanolivia]

A ten year old can surely remove a lifejacket.
Regardless the article lacks much information relevant to our speculation.
Any one guess here as to the circumstances that lead to her death are as worthy as any other until more information is released.

Possibly, this 10 year old could have removed her lifejacket. IMO, the lifejacket is not relevant. If she was wearing a life jacket or she wasn't, she should have been CONSTANTLY supervised. A lifejacket is not a babysitter. A child on a boat, even wearing a lifejacket, should be supervised.

[ryanolivia]

Not really a provable statement. Its also very broad and I can cite incidents (tangential to the discussion of course) discrediting to this statement. Like I stated the article is very basic and lacking in information and until anything definitive is released any accusations against the parents are theory at best but mostly folly.

Show me ONE incident where a child has drowned while the parent ( or caretaker ) was watching 100% of the time. I will give you the possibility if it is a flash flood or hurricaine situation. Even a boating crash, it could happen. However, ANY drowning in a regular swimming, boating or backyard pool is 100% preventable.

[ichabodius]

Show me ONE incident where a child has drowned while the parent ( or caretaker ) was watching 100% of the time. I will give you the possibility if it is a flash flood or hurricaine situation. Even a boating crash, it could happen. However, ANY drowning in a regular swimming, boating or backyard pool is 100% preventable.

This is your statement I quoted

Kids do drown daily and 100% of them wouldn't, if a responsible adult was supervising them. If a child is around open water, an adult needs to have their eyes on them EVERY second. Especially if the child can't swim

This differs from your current verbage.

[ryanolivia]

This is your statement I quoted

This differs from your current verbage.

Forgive me and I do agree with you. In this situation, the boat did not crash, nor was there an act of God. If someone was watching this child, she would not have drowned.

[McCourt]

Forgive me and I do agree with you. In this situation, the boat did not crash, nor was there an act of God. If someone was watching this child, she would not have drowned.

That's how I feel too Ryanolivia.