Police ID boy found at bottom of Fort Lauderdale pool
MIAMI - Fort Lauderdale police identified the boy who was found at the bottom of a swimming pool Monday evening.
Ryan Amichette was just 8 years old.
"We went looking for him. We went all over Fort Lauderdale, all over the city, and we couldn't find him. And then I see a lot of police was on the corner and then I ran to the police and I said y'all seen a little boy? And then the police was like we just found a little boy in the pool," said Gibson Severe, Amichette's older half-brother.
Severe said Amichette moved here with his mom from the Bahamas about two and a half years ago. Severe says the boy's mom was working Monday afternoon and that a babysitter was supposed to pick him up from school.
"She was supposed to be the one to pick him up, but she said she saw him walking down the street and she turned around — she was calling him. I was like why she didn't grab his hand or nothing like that," said Severe.
Severe says the home with the pool is a few blocks away from where he lives.
Severe says his brother didn't know the owner of the pool or how he got into the backyard of the home.
Severe says he'll remember his brother as a happy, energetic kid, and he has this message for parents.
"If you have kids, don't trust anyone with your kids," said Severe.
Severe says he's unsure if his brother knew how to swim.
Fort Lauderdale police say they're investigating this as an accident and are still trying to determine how the boy got into the backyard.
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