No foul play suspected after 3-year-old drowns in Cottage Grove pool

Police in Cottage Grove said they do not suspect foul play after a 3-year-old girl drowned in a residential swimming pool Thursday.

Police were called to the 8600 block of Johansen Avenue S. at 2:45 p.m. after the girl was found unresponsive by family and neighbors, according to a statement from the Cottage Grove Police Department. Officers arrived within three minutes, but the girl was later pronounced dead at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Nearly 1,000 children die from drownings in the U.S. every year, and almost half are 4 years old or younger, according to the Children’s Safety Network, which promotes child safety. Most children of that age drown in home swimming pools.

Formal swimming lessons for toddlers can reduce the risk of drownings by 88%, according to the organization. Four-sided fences that keep pools separate from a home and the surrounding yard can also reduce risk by 83% compared to fencing that does not isolate a pool from the rest of the property.