On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, Anna Beaumont was found unresponsive at Discovery Cove, a marine-themed park. Per the Associated Press, Beaumont was discovered in a pool just before noon. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the following day, Beaumont was pronounced dead in the hospital.
The medical examiner's office listed her cause of death as accidental, caused by drowning. However, local authorities said the investigation into her death remains active and ongoing.
This latest teen drowning is part of an alarming series of similar incidents over the past couple of months. In Minnesota, per Southern Minnesota News, 15-year-old Camron Keosaykham drowned at the Mound Creek County Park. Keosaykham had been swimming, began struggling, went under the water, and didn't surface.
Though emergency responders arrived on the scene to provide medical aid, Keosaykham was pronounced dead within hours.
Over in Canyon Lake, Texas, 18-year-old Alek Johnson drowned in the lake on Memorial Day. He'd been underwater for 20 minutes before being recovered by the Canyon Lake Fire & EMS dive team. They did everything possible to revive him, but unfortunately, he died after being transported to a nearby hospital.
"We had boats and people and his friends who all saw when he went under," said Javier Fuentes, the Texas Parks and Wildlife captain game warden. "See what's happening at Canyon Lake right now is that we've had three drownings so far this summer. Every single one has come from the bank. So the water is so low that it's exposing some of these islands that are normally underwater."
A 13-Year-Old Teen Drowned In Discovery Cove In Orlando, Florida
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded a worrying rise in drowning deaths in the United States.
"Over 4,500 people drowned each year in the United States from 2020-2022. This is about 500 more drowning deaths each year compared to 2019. Groups already at higher risk saw the greatest increases in deaths, including young children and older adults of all races and ethnicities, and Black people of all ages."
Reportedly, around 40 million adults don't know how to swim. Over the summer months, please be safe. Exercise as much caution and foresight as possible when going to a water park or doing recreational activities in or near unsteady waters.
