CATHEDRAL CITY – An 11-month-old toddler, whose name is not being released, has died after falling into a plastic, 5-gallon bucket containing less than 5 inches of water.

The boy’s death is the result of an accident that occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 12, according to Paul Herrera, Commander/Administrative Services, Cathedral City Police Department.

At 9:51 p.m. that day, Cathedral City Police officers along with Cathedral City Fire Department Paramedics were dispatched to an address in the 29300 Block of Avenida LaPaz regarding a baby that was not breathing.

Police officers arrived on scene and started CPR on the male toddler. Fire Department paramedics arrived and immediately transported the child to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs while attempting to revive the child. Emergency and pediatric medical staff immediately attended to the toddler.

The child was then prepared for an emergency helicopter flight to Loma Linda University Medical Center where medical staff worked tirelessly to revive him.  He remained on pediatric life-support until he passed away on Feb. 18.

Officers investigated the origin and nature of the drowning and learned the child was playing inside of the residence. While crawling and walking around the interior of the residence unattended, the child apparently fell into the bucket containing water, according to Herrera. The toddler was unable to pull himself up or dislodge himself from the interior of the bucket. His head and face were partially submerged in this position for a short period of time – long enough to render him unconscious.  Unidentified family members located him in that position, called 911 and started CPR until officers arrived.

The event was investigated by the Cathedral City Police Department. No criminal charges are being considered. This appears to be an unfortunate accident, according to Herrera.

Unintentional drowning is the leading cause of death for children younger than 5 years old. A bucket is one of the most common water container in which children can drown, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine