"He was so lovable": Family, friends remember 9-year-old pulled from Bucks County pond
NEW BRITAIN BOROUGH, Pa. (CBS) -- A 9-year-old boy was pulled from a Bucks County pond and died later at the hospital Monday.
Nine-year-old Joey Malcolm Jr., of New Britain Borough, was taken from his family too soon.
The Bucks County Coroner's Office confirmed Wednesday after an autopsy that the cause of death of the 9-year-old was drowning and determined to be accidental.
His grieving mother wiped away tears as she was consoled by the boy's aunt at a makeshift memorial Tuesday by the pond near Doylestown where Central Bucks Regional Police say he drowned.
"He's 9 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him," Aunt Katie Keichline said. "It's terrible."
Malcolm was an elementary school student and the goalie for his soccer team. His family says he loved music and fishing and had a lot of friends.
"He was a great kid," Keichline said. "He was so lovable."
As police continue to investigate his death, Malcolm's family has so many unanswered questions. They say he knew how to swim.
They also said the pond used to have a fence around it but say it was taken down several months ago.
"I want to know why because it makes no sense why they had it up there and they don't," Keichline said.
Neighbors who live in the area were also concerned when that fence was taken down.
"Everybody was concerned about it because there's lots of little kids around here and it's a body of water," Katherine Cowan said.
"When they took it down, I thought they were gonna put a nicer one up," Dave Cowan said. "But they never put anything up. Never happened, here we are."
Calls to a management company to ask why the fence was allegedly removed were not returned.
But Malcom's family wants to see action.
"I just hope they put this fence back up so no other kids have to suffer," Keichline said.
Malcolm leaves behind his parents, a sister and three brothers.
