Kid’s drowning raises issues about Virginia’s lack of swim camp security guidelines

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has decided that 9-year-old King Overton died by unintended drowning at SwimRVA-North on Chamberlayne Avenue, ruling out hypothesis {that a} medical emergency might have contributed to his demise.

Henrico Police and Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor each stated the investigation into King’s demise is ongoing and didn’t have any updates to share.

Parent calls for solutions after 9-year-old dies at SwimRVA summer season camp

A spokesperson for Overton’s household and the father or mother of one other pupil on the similar swim camp stated they’ve severe issues and questions on how this occurred at a spot dedicated to constructing a “drownproof Richmond.”

The father or mother raised particular questions concerning the circumstances surrounding King’s demise.

“I’d like to know how many kids were in the pool at the time this happened, how many lifeguards were at the pool when this happened, how long had those lifeguards been in their positions and what were the ages of those lifeguards?” the father or mother stated.

CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit requested SwimRVA’s government director those self same questions, and we’re ready to listen to again.

An investigation into state oversight of swim camps and swim faculties in Virginia revealed vital gaps in regulation.

The Virginia Department of Health stated the one oversight it has over SwimRVA swimming pools pertains to posting water high quality take a look at outcomes, and that VDH doesn’t conduct common inspections of services underneath that regulation.

Virginia’s Department of Social Services stated it doesn’t have any regulatory authority over SwimRVA or their camps or faculties, and stated that authority lies with the Virginia Department of Education.

The Virginia Department of Education stated it has initiated an investigation into the scenario. However, a spokesperson stated SwimRVA is just not a licensed program and due to this fact doesn’t need to observe any state-mandated ratios or employees qualification requirements for swimming instructors. VDOE added that Virginia doesn’t have particular necessities associated to ratios and teacher certifications for summer season swim camps.

VDOE stated it couldn’t launch any further info presently as a result of energetic investigation.

Anyone with info can name Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660 or by means of the P3 app.

A GoFundMe has been established for a service for King.

This is a growing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom you probably have further info to share.

📲: CONNECT WITH US

Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been transformed to this platform with the help of AI. Our editorial workforce verifies all reporting on all platforms for equity and accuracy. To study extra about how we use AI in our newsroom, click on right here.