Missing girl found drowned at resort swimming pool
An 11-year-old girl reported missing Wednesday, July 14, at an RV resort near Walker’s Bridge was found drowned in a swimming pool.
Sheriff Kyle Breland said the child was reported missing about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon at Paradise Ranch Resort off Hwy. 48 West. He said a family member made the 911 call to the local sheriff’s office.
County medical examiner Chris Blackwell identified the victim as Aniya Young of McComb.
Breland said he and other officers responded to a 911 call placed by a family member. He said a search involving deputies, resort personnel and others was mounted throughout the park and a nearby wooded area. The search went on for over two hours before the youth was found around 6:50 p.m.
“We were told that searchers had checked the pool before we arrived,” Breland said. “She was part of a small group attending a family member’s birthday party at the resort. They had riden to the park in a small bus and had a day pass to the park.”
Swimmers were in the pool when they arrived, the sheriff said, noting that the pool water was cloudy because of the influx of rain lately.
Eventually, however, Young’s body was found in the pool.
“The pool had signs on the fence warning users to ‘swim at your own risk’,” Breland said.
The sheriff said CPR was attempted to revive the victim, but she had been underwater too long. He said he was told that the girl was not able to swim.