The lake, with its many obvious pleasures and beauty, sometimes brings tragedy. Monday was one of those times for a Lake Oconee family who lost their young child.
The 7-year-old boy, Xander Whitehurst, was playing in the yard of the Lakeview Estates Lane home he lives in with his great-grandparents. Xander is non-verbal and autistic, so his great-grandfather was outside watching him.
“The child took off running around the corner of the house, and his great-grandfather went around the corner looking for him, and didn’t see him,” said Putnam County Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Russell Blenk.
The grandfather got the other adults from inside the house, and everyone went around the yard and neighborhood searching for Xander. After 10 minutes of no success, they called 911.
“We received the call at 1:28 p.m., and then the search was on,” Blenk said.
Deputy Todd Hudspeth, Cpl. Chris Donovan and K9 Nix, Sgt. Justin Brock and Det. Chris Harper and others responded to assist with the search, as did neighbors and firefighters.
“When the call went out, one of the responders got on the radio and said, ‘better get to the water because autistic people are drawn to water,’” Blenk noted.
A few minutes after 2 p.m., another call on the radio announced that a mail carrier had seen the child in the lake.
Blenk said someone had asked the mail carrier to be on the lookout for the child.
While delivering mail on the 100 block of Shelby Drive, less than a mile from the child’s residence, she saw the child in the lake.
“She got out of her vehicle, and she pulled him out of the water and yelled for help, and a lawncare guy called 911,” Blenk said.
The child was alive and wheezing and was taken by ambulance to St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries, and the hospital physician pronounced his death at 3:23 p.m..
Blenk said. Putnam County Coroner Hollis Harrison said an autopsy was being done to determine the exact cause of death.
“It was not the outcome we were hoping for,” Blenk said. “Glad he was found, but wish it could’ve been different.”