Toddler found unresponsive in Airbnb swimming pool being treated at Orlando hospital
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A 2-year-old is recovering at AdventHealth after her family says she fell into a pool at a Kissimmee Airbnb.
Her aunt, Gaineymarie Broadway, says she helped give the little girl CPR until paramedics could arrive.
"We began to hit our knees and start praying and seeking God's face, and he met us there," said Broadway.
Photo: Gaineymarie Broadway
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office’s report on the incident says the 2-year-old’s grandmother, Connie Hicks, saw Charlotte sitting in a chair in the living room of the Airbnb, watching a video. About a half hour later, the report states, Hicks heard the video and thought Charlotte was sleeping in the chair.
The incident report says a 13-year-old was the first to notice the little girl in the pool, and the rest of the family didn’t know what happened until she started screaming. The report says that happened "shortly after" when Hicks thought Charlotte had been sleeping. A Ring doorbell camera from the Airbnb caught that moment on camera. .
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"Mom, where’s Charlotte? Mom, look at the pool!" the teen shouts.
Hicks runs over, crying out, "Oh my God, please, Jesus!"
The Ring doorbell camera shows paramedics getting to the scene and taking Charlotte out on a stretcher. A deputy with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office gets there after that.
"I thought she was on the chair; the music was playing loud," Hicks tells a deputy.
Charlotte’s family says she got an MRI on Wednesday afternoon, and they’re still waiting for the results, but she is in stable condition.
Photo: Gaineymarie Broadway
A crowd of people showed up at the hospital Tuesday night to show their support for the little girl.
"That baby came out of the pool lifeless. And God has restored her. He gave her back her heartbeat. And, you know, that is our main focus on giving God all the glory and honor today that he deserves," said Broadway.
The incident report notes that a lock on the sliding glass door that goes out to the pool was broken. FOX 35 News went to the Airbnb to investigate and confirmed the lock on one end of the door was broken. That end does not have a handle but does have a lip to grab the door, which is 39 inches from the ground. There is also a sliding screen door behind the sliding glass door. The other end of the door has a working lock and a working secondary child safety lock on it.
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There is also a fence surrounding the pool on all sides. It had four different portions where a person could enter by lifting a latch at the top of the fence, four feet above the ground. Once unlatched, poles would separate to form a V-shape that is narrow at the bottom to keep children from getting through in case the latch comes undone accidentally. To get through the fence, the person trying to get to the pool has to unlatch the lock and then lift the poles out of holes in the ground and move them to the side before they can enter.
"We don’t know how she got into the pool. But she did," Gainey told FOX 35.
Photo: Gaineymarie Broadway
Safety signage is posted near the pool at the Airbnb, warning visitors not to run in the area or dive into the 4.5-foot-deep pool and telling guests that they’re swimming at their own risk. The house rules on the listing for the rental also warn guests that the pool is to be used at their own risk.
Drowning is the leading cause of death in young children in this state, according to data collected by the Florida Legislature, which prompted lawmakers to pass legislation requiring new pools to have safety gates like the one the Airbnb has.
Airbnb says more than two-thirds of its listings in Florida have a pool. The company recently teamed up with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families to launch a pool safety education campaign and to offer discounts on pool fences.
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An Airbnb representative said the listing for this rental home has been deactivated as the company investigates, and told FOX 35 in a statement,
"Our hearts go out to this family, and we have reached out to them to offer our support."
"We want everybody to continue to keep praying for Charlotte," said Broadway.