OREGON, OHIO: Oregon toddler Marcus Anthony Hall, 2, was found unresponsive after drowning in a neighbor’s unguarded pool on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, after he sneaked out of the house as his mother slept.
On the fateful day, Marcus, affectionately called Mar Mar, and his older brother snuck out of their home when their father Anthony Hall was out for work and their mother was sleeping inside the house.
How did Marcus Anthony Hall die?
The events of the day unfolded when a neighbor called the police at 10:34 am to report a boy in diapers chasing dogs.
As per the transcripts obtained by WTGV, the caller told 911, “There’s a baby outside in just a diaper chasing a dog. There’s no adults.”
Oregon police responded immediately and the police chief said that an officer arrived at the house to tell the mother to be more careful, and to consider installing safety devices.
Almost an hour later, at 11:27 am, the Oregon police received another call, this time from the mother.
The mother called the police to report her younger son missing.
According to WTGV, she told the dispatcher, “I got woken up to the cops over here knocking on my door because they said that kids were running around outside, so when I woke up, only my 4-year-old here.”
When the dispatcher queried, “So your 2-year-old is missing?”, she replied in the affirmative.
Police Chief Brandon Begin said the officers went to the scene and found Marcus inside the neighbor’s pool.
One of the officers jumped into the elevated pool and found Marcus lying at the bottom of the pool. After handing the child to another officer, they immediately performed CPR and rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead later.
The pool where Marcus drowned is an above-ground pool with a small ladder. Daily Mail reported that while the yard was fenced, the pool was unguarded.
Under Ohio state law, every private swimming pool needs to be enclosed with a fence. A complaint was filed with the city regarding the pool.
It is, however, not known whether any complaint has been filed against the mother or the neighbor.
The police further added that Children Protective Services is investigating the scenario leading to Marcus’s death.
Marcus Anthony Hall’s father sets up a GoFundMe Page
Marcus Hall's father Anthony has set up a GoFundMe Page for the funeral of the little boy as the date for the funeral is October 10.
Saying that his son just celebrated his second birthday in July, Hall told WTGV, “He was a cool little dude,” and he will remember his son by his smile.
He wrote on the GoFundMe page, “I don't know how to explain this, but I will try the best way I can, my name is Anthony Hall, Marcus's dad.”
Hall described, “His life was taken from him early afternoon on 10/4/2023. There was an incident where his mother was sleeping and the kids snuck out of the house unfraternally (sic).”
The grieving father wrote, “Marcus climbed into a Swimming pool and drown. This story break my heart every time i have to tell it he was only two years old.”
The heartbroken father also said that he could not imagine “what was going through his mind during all this.”
Out of the $2,500 goal, $1,960 has been raised till now.
