PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – After a 1-year-old boy in Putnam County fell into a septic tank on his family’s rental property and died this weekend, alarms are again being sounded about the dangers of unsecured septic tanks.
After an all-out search by authorities that lasted more than 24 hours, Jose Lara’s body was found Monday in a septic tank only 30 yards from the family’s home. The sheriff says it appears Jose stepped on a rotted piece of plywood and accidentally fell into the tank.
The case felt all too family for attorney Kay Harper Williams, who represented the family of Amari Harley, a 3-year-old boy who drowned in an unsecured septic tank at a Jacksonville park in 2017.
“This is another completely preventable tragedy,” she said.
RELATED: Arlington playground named after boy who drowned in a septic tank
She said these types of drownings happen several times a year across the country and that simple actions can save lives.
“If it is true that the septic tank opening was covered with plywood, that would not meet any standards and it should have minimally had a high-density plastic cover and those covers are less than 50 bucks,” Williams said. “Here we are again with similar facts and another little boy that won’t grow up to live with his family. My message to parents—is if the septic tank is on your property—or you’re renting and you’re unsure, you have to ask questions.”
In Amari’s case, the city reached a settlement with his family and now nearly 200 city septic tanks are secured by heavy metal lids with locks.
In Jose’s case, the septic tank was overgrown and it’s unclear if anyone was aware it was there. The sheriff said the tank was covered in weeds, dirt and plywood, which made it difficult to spot -- even with helicopters and drones in the air.
The search for Jose began Sunday afternoon in an area south of Crescent city near the Volusia County line when his mother reported him missing. She said Jose was playing in the backyard of his home and disappeared when she took a sibling inside to wash up.
Teams worked side-by-side and with hound dogs to find Jose. Their ground search included a mile radius to two square miles and body heat detection technology.
The sheriff says there is nothing to indicate foul play in this case and he believes this was a tragic accident.
“It appeared that it had rotted -- that whenever he stepped on it he actually fell in,” Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Gator DeLoach said. “So after he fell in, it appears as though there was actually a spring in it that it almost came back into the position that it would have been in.”
DeLoach said a team leader made the call to drain the septic tank to check it.
“It’s not an uncommon practice in a situation like this when there’s a child missing to search the septic tank as well,” DeLoach said. “At that point, it was unfortunately when we discovered the child’s body.”