A missing 2-year-old was found dead Saturday evening in a shallow pond not far from his home in Washington Court House, Ohio, police said.
LeRoy J. Toppins, reported missing Friday, was found at the bottom of the pond about 400 feet from his home at around 7 p.m., Fayette County sheriffs told The Washington Court House Record Herald. The pond is nearly three feet deep this time of year.
"We believe the child wandered away, got too close to the water and fell in," Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth told the newspaper.
Hundreds of people searched the ground and helicopters, and drones conducted an aerial search since Friday evening when Toppins disappeared while playing outside his house with siblings.
Toppins' parents were around, but he must have been distracted by something and wandered off, Stanforth told the Record Herald.
"The parents were near...it's not like they were somewhere else letting the child roam. Several family members were also in the nearby barn," the sheriff said.
The boy's parents have not offered comment except to thank the community for all of its help and support. Police said no criminal charges are expected to be filed in the case.
"No indication of foul play, no indication of neglect. In my opinion, it was just a very tragic accident," Stanforth told the newspaper.
A cause of death is to be determined by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office.
