Missing 2-Year-Old Found: LeRoy Toppins Found Dead In Ohio Pond, Death Called ‘Tragic Accident’

A missing two-year-old was found in a pond near his home in Ohio less than 24 hours after his parents reported him missing. The body of LeRoy Toppins was found just beneath the surface of the water by a searcher who had been combing the perimeter.

On Monday, NewsMax posted some new information that suggests that this was a “tragic accident,” and that the boy wandered away from his home on his own.

Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said that Toppins’ parents have been very cooperative throughout this process, and he does not believe that there was any sort of foul play involved. He says that the investigation has led police to believe that this toddler wound up in the pond after leaving the area where he had been playing outside.

“We believe the child wandered away, got too close to the water and fell in. There is no indication of foul play. The family has been extremely cooperative throughout the entire process. This is a body of water that’s been there as long as the parents have been there. They were outside with the child. He had his boundaries and unfortunately, something caused him to wander toward the body of water. The parents were near… it’s not like they were somewhere else letting the child roam. Several family members were also in the nearby barn. No indication of foul play, no indication of neglect. In my opinion, it was just a very tragic accident.”

The missing two-year-old found in the pond managed to get out of sight while playing outside. What seems really interesting is that a family member who was involved in the search, said that LeRoy Toppins was “afraid” of the water. It is unknown why he would head over to the pond by himself, but toddlers are always very curious, fear or no fear.

“He’s afraid of water, so I know he wouldn’t go down to the pond. He never travels far from his parents,” said Angel Jones. According to NewsNet 5, the boy’s family had no immediate comment. Stanforth said that they were having a very hard time dealing with the devastating news, which is completely understandable.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, police are still investigating the case, and are waiting for the results of an autopsy to ensure that everything lines up. The boy’s parents have not been charged, and it doesn’t sound like they will be unless something drastically different is revealed.

[Photo via Twitter]