Police: Parents arrested after 3-year-old dies following rescue from Sanford pond

5 p.m. Update:

SANFORD, Fla. — The Sanford Police Department said two parents are facing manslaughter charges in the death of their toddler.

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According to an arrest report, Lester Ortiz contacted law enforcement around 3:14 p.m. Saturday to report that his 3-year-old son, Ethan Ortiz Ruiz, was missing.

The parents told police that the boy, diagnosed with autism, had left the apartment three times before, but neighbors had found him on two of those occasions.

When police officers arrived at the home, they noticed strong smells of marijuana in the home, and Ortiz and Luiz had bloodshot eyes.

Ruiz told law enforcement she had heard a door open and close and asked her 15-year-old daughter to check.

The report said officers did not find the child in the home, but checked the pond behind the apartment and found him in the water.

Sanford firefighters took him to the Lake Monroe Hospital, where he died.

The Florida Department of Children and Families accompanied law enforcement at the hospital.

Ruiz and Ortiz told investigators they had medical marijuana cards and smoked regularly.

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Previous story:

The parents of a toddler who died after being rescued from a retention pond at a Sanford apartment complex on Saturday have been arrested on charges connected to the child’s death, the police chief said Sunday.

Police said the 3-year-old was rescued from a pond at The Crosby at Towne Center apartment complex on Solstice Loop on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the child was taken to the hospital, where they died.

Police Chief Cecil Smith told Channel 9 that both of the child’s parents were arrested on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Police have not released the names of the parents.

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Smith said officers who responded to rescue the child from the pond received medical treatment due to bacteria in the water.

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