Tragic drowning incident in Prairieville: Community unites in grief

An incident that occurred Monday night in the community of Prairieville ended in a heartbreaking manner: According to a report by WAFB, rescue workers found the body of a 12-year-old boy who drowned after jumping into the pond.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office was called to the Keystone neighborhood Monday evening after receiving a report that a child had gone into the pond but had not resurfaced.

Rescue workers immediately went into the pond to search for the little boy while a crowd gathered at the pond to pray.

People stood at the scene for hours waiting for news about the incident.

Although sheriff’s officials have not yet released when the boy went into the pond, they know a neighbor saw the child do so earlier that evening.

Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre issued a statement Monday evening:

Our community is facing a heartbreaking situation tonight. Sheriff’s Office officials, along with teams from neighboring agencies, are actively searching for the body of a young boy believed to have drowned in a neighborhood pond. We are committed to using every resource available to provide closure to his family. I assure the family and our residents that we will not rest until the child is found. Thank you to the Gonzales Fire Department and East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office dive teams, agents from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and all of our local and surrounding fire departments for their assistance.

A department spokesman, Donovan Jackson, said the child’s body was discovered later that evening.