Detectives say two women left six children alone as they ordered food and drinks inside the facility.
INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Investigators are reconstructing movements inside Deer Lake Athletic Club after a 4-year-old girl drowned Friday evening, focusing on a roughly 35-minute window when six children were in the water without an adult on the deck and the two accompanying women were elsewhere in the building.
The case has moved quickly from first response to prosecutorial review, with attention on a clear timeline drawn from surveillance, sign-in logs and witness accounts. Authorities said the girl, from Sterling Heights, was pulled from the pool by her sister around 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30. Club staff and patrons began CPR before first responders took over. The child was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. The athletic club said staff followed protocols and is cooperating. The prosecutor will weigh whether the facts support criminal charges tied to supervision and neglect.
Detectives said the group arrived for family swim with flotation items, including pool noodles. Soon after, the two women left the pool deck and went to the club’s restaurant and bar area. During the period they were gone, the children — ages 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, with one age not immediately confirmed — remained in the pool, according to investigative summaries. No adult was stationed at the water’s edge for about 35 minutes. When the 4-year-old was discovered unresponsive, the older sister pulled her from the water. Three adults on site initiated compressions as a staff member called 911 and directed responders to the pool. Sheriff Michael Bouchard described the incident as preventable and said the chronology will guide accountability decisions.
On Tuesday, detectives reviewed video from hallways and the pool room to fix times of entry and exit, and interviewed employees about staffing, training and emergency actions. They also gathered membership records to identify who checked in with the group and whether additional adults were present elsewhere in the facility. Officials have not released whether a certified lifeguard was on active duty at that time; the club has not provided staffing rosters for that night beyond saying staff followed procedure. The child and the women have not been publicly named. The medical examiner is preparing a final report listing cause and manner of death, with preliminary findings indicating drowning.
The facility sits near Clarkston and draws families from northern Oakland County and nearby Macomb County. Local records show few fatal drownings inside staffed indoor pools in recent years. Investigators said the case stands out because all six minors were in the water at once without an adult present on deck, raising questions about adherence to posted rules and expectations for supervision during family swim hours. Prior incidents at public facilities have typically involved unsupervised backyard pools or natural lakes rather than member-only indoor pools with employees on site, according to officials familiar with regional trends.
The prosecutor’s review could consider possible counts ranging from child abuse and neglect to contributing to a situation harmful to minors, depending on proof of supervision lapses and foreseeability. Detectives plan to deliver their complete case file — including time-stamped video images, interviews and emergency call logs — this week. Any decision on charges will be announced after that review. If charges are filed, initial court appearances would follow in district court in Pontiac, with a probable-cause conference to be scheduled within days of arraignment.
Members trickled into the club Tuesday, where a small cluster of flowers had been placed near a lobby window. “It’s hard to think about kids swimming by themselves,” said a man who gives his name only as Mark, a longtime member who said he arrived after the emergency call. Another member who declined to be identified said she saw staff clearing the deck as someone counted off compressions. Bouchard, speaking briefly, said investigators would “let the evidence drive the next steps.”
As of Wednesday morning, detectives were finalizing supplements to their report and the prosecutor’s office had not announced a decision. Officials said an update could come later this week once the legal review is complete.
Author note: Last updated February 4, 2026.