A 14-year-old girl died after drowning at an Ohio water park on Tuesday, where she was under water for about half an hour before being found, officials said.
The Montgomery County coroner’s office confirmed Mykiara Jones, 14, died Tuesday night, shortly after a medical helicopter flew her to Dayton Children’s Hospital from Land of Illusion’s waterpark, Aqua Adventures, in Madison Township, Butler County.
Her autopsy will be conducted Wednesday, coroner’s officials said.
Butler County dispatchers say they received reports about 5 p.m. Tuesday that a 14-year-old girl went into the water at Land of Illusions Amusement Park and never came back up.
Madison Township firefighters and park staff were already trying to find the young Dayton resident when deputies arrived, according to a release from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.Â
A lifeguard pulled the girl from the water at 5:30 p.m., about 30 minutes after she went into the water and didn’t come back up. CPR was administered and the sheriff’s office said Madison Township EMS treated her after she was pulled from the water.
“This is a tragedy no parent should have to endure,” said Sheriff Richard K. Jones in the release. “These are the calls first responders dread and have difficulty dealing with. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”
Sheriff:‘Staggering’ amount of safety complaints filed after girl’s death at water park
Her death has raised questions about safety concerns at the water park, according to Jones.
“After this tragedy, the number of complaints has been staggering,” Jones said. “I feel it’s very important to obtain all relevant facts to ensure everything is being done according to regulations and safety guidelines.”
The incident comes weeks after an 11-year-old boy was killed and three others were injured at an Iowa amusement park when a raft overturned on a water ride. Also this summer, a Fresno, Calif. park is being investigated over the potential Father’s Day drowning of 46-year-old who was pulled out of the wave pool, the Fresno Bee reported. In 2016, a 10-year-old boy was decapitated on a Kansas water slide, at the time billed as the world’s tallest and described by the park’s owner as “dangerous, but… safe dangerous.”
Parents recount amusement park accident:Â ‘I feel like Adventureland robbed me of my baby’
Enquirer Media partner Fox 19 contributed a photo to this report.
