The local Salvation Army said yesterday that it is conducting an internal investigation of the drowning death of Ja'Nae McCullum, a 6-year-old who was found at the bottom of a pool during an agency outing.
"The Salvation Army stretches its hands and heart to the immediate family and relatives of the deceased," Terry Israel, the head of the agency's local programs, said in its first comment beyond earlier statements that it would not discuss the incident. "The Salvation Army is fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation and will also do its own internal investigation into the matter," Israel said. "At present, our primary concern is for the immediate family of the deceased and the future safety of others."
The statement did not address any questions that have been raised about Ja'Nae's supervision while at the pool, nor her family's allegation that they had signed a permission form for her to be at a water park rather than a city pool. She did not know how to swim, her family has said.
Ja'Nae was on a Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club trip at the Kimberley Park pool Friday afternoon when a city worker who was testing water quality spotted her at the bottom of the deep end, Capt. David Clayton said.
The city worker alerted a nearby lifeguard, who jumped in, pulled Ja'Nae out of the water and began CPR.
Paramedics took her to the hospital, but no one was able to revive her -- an indication that she was underwater for minutes before someone spotted her, Dr. Donald Jason, the medical examiner who did the autopsy, said Monday.
Jason's autopsy found no signs of a heart condition or any injuries, and ruled Ja'Nae's death an accidental drowning.
Police have said that there were two adults from the Boys & Girls Club supervising 21 children at the pool Friday. About 30 to 35 children were in the water at the time, and eight lifeguards were on duty.
Typically, two lifeguards have primary duties to watch the pool from a lifeguard station, while others collect admission fees, clean restrooms and perform other tasks.
A city review is looking into where all the lifeguards were and what they were doing when Ja'Nae drowned.
The Kimberley Park pool has two diving boards above water 12 feet deep. It also has a shallow area for toddlers. A section of the pool gently slants as it gradually deepens from 5 feet to 12 feet.
■ Dan Galindo can be reached at 727-7377 or at dgalindo@wsjournal.com.
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