The body of a Sophia child was taken to the Lyken Funeral Parlour yesterday afternoon after he drowned in an almost full five-gallon bucket of water.
One year old Akeem Peters, the youngest of five children, was already dead by the time police officers arrived at his 192 North Sophia residence.
Peters’ mother, Kandyce Duncan, 28, said that around 9:00 or 10:00am yesterday, she left her son in the care of his 14-year-old aunt to go transact some business. She said that she was confident in the ability of the 14-year-old to look after her child since she had done it many times before.
Duncan would receive a call from a relative around 12:00pm, informing her that Peters had drowned.
She said that she rushed home and subsequently called the police who took her and the 14-year- old to the Kitty Police Station to give statements.
According to Duncan, the 14-year-old told police that she had fed the child a short while after his mother had left, before putting him to sleep. The girl said that she subsequently fell asleep herself. They were sleeping on the same bed. She said that when she woke up she realized that Peters was no longer on the bed with her.
The girl told police that she asked the boy’s two older brothers about his whereabouts, and was told that they thought he was with her.
Reports say that the young girl started searching the entire house and eventually happened upon Peters, who was upside down in a partially full 5-gallon bucket of water.
Peters apparently woke up before his aunt and wandered into the kitchen where the bucket of water was situated.
Duncan said the girl told police that she immediately pulled the child out of the bucket and attempted to revive him, to no avail.
Duncan said that some time during the ordeal, the 14 year old sent another of her nephews to call her brother who lives close by. It was this relative who eventually informed Duncan of her son’s demise.
By press time last evening, both Duncan and the 14-year-old had been released. They are to return to the Kitty Police Station today to further assist with investigations.
