Boy, 5, drowns after falling in canal

ST. AMANT — A 5-year-old boy died Sunday night after falling into a canal behind the Buddy Gore Drive home of a family friend, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Maj. Kevin Hanna said deputies responded to a possible drowning Saturday afternoon in a gated subdivision off Cessna Street near La. 429.

Hanna said the boy, whose identity was not released, was discovered in the canal with a faint pulse and was transported by ambulance to a Baton Rouge hospital.

Chief Deputy Tony Bacala said the boy had wandered away from his parents shortly before he was discovered in the canal.

The boy and his parents were visiting friends at the home on Buddy Gore Drive, Hanna said, and the boy’s parents said he was out of their sight for less than five minutes.

The boy never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and was pronounced dead Sunday night, Hanna said.