An 8-month-old infant was found unresponsive in a bathtub at a Victorville home Tuesday afternoon, and a family member was already performing CPR on the baby when deputies rushed inside. The infant was later flown to a trauma center, where the child remained as of Tuesday night with no update on condition provided.
According to the Victorville Daily Press, the incident was first reported just after 12:30 p.m. at a home in the 15900 block of Elkins Street. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said deputies arrived to find a family member already working to resuscitate the infant, and took over lifesaving efforts until paramedics arrived on scene.
Paramedics then rushed the infant to a local hospital, the outlet reported, before the child was flown out to a trauma center. The sheriff's department's written statement said the infant remained there, though no further details — including any update on the baby's condition — had been released by Tuesday night.
Authorities Seeking Information From the Public
The sheriff's department has asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760) 956-2001. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the WeTip hotline at (800) 909-3096, per the same account.
The circumstances surrounding how the infant came to be in the bathtub have not been detailed publicly, and officials have not said whether the case remains under review.
Another Victorville Drowning This Year
Tuesday's incident is not the only child drowning to shake Victorville this year. In July, an 8-year-old boy died after drowning in a swimming pool at a Victorville apartment complex, according to KTLA. In that case, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies responded to the 17200 block of Dante Street just before 4 p.m. and found the boy had been pulled from the bottom of the pool. Family members and medical personnel performed CPR before he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead; KTLA reported no arrests had been made as that case remained under investigation.
Bathtubs Remain a Leading Risk for Infants
National data underscores why bathtubs pose such a stark risk for the youngest children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that among infants under 1 year old, three quarters of all drownings occur in bathtubs, according to the CDC. California state data covering 2016 through 2023 similarly found that for infants less than a year old, the most common fatal drowning location is bathtubs, per the California Department of Public Health.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also urges parents to learn CPR, noting its data shows an average of 379 reported pool-or-spa-related fatal drownings involving children younger than 15 each year, according to the CPSC. No further details about Tuesday's Victorville case had emerged as of this report.
