Two Long Island toddlers killed in tragic backyard pool mishaps days apart: cops

Two Long Island toddlers drowned to death in separate backyard-pool mishaps just days apart from each other, Suffolk County police said.A 2-year-old girl died July 23 after she was found unresponsive in the backyard pool of her Mastic home on July 20, cops said.Then, just one day later on July 24 a 3-year-old drowned during a family party in Central Islip, according to officials.The child had been discovered by relatives, officials said.Both were rushed to nearby hospitals in critical condition before they were pronounced dead, police said. Aside from the two toddlers, there have been at least five other water-related deaths in Suffolk since the beginning of May, according to police. Officials issued a dire warning for summer saying earlier this month that there have been at least 50 water-rescue related calls in Suffolk so far this year — resulting in at least seven deaths.In 2025, Suffolk County saw 16 drownings and nearly 120 water-rescue related calls, officials said. Meanwhile, Nassau had 13 water-rescue related calls for the year as of the middle of July, with one death so far this year, according to police. Last summer, Nassau cops said they responded to nine calls, and two people died.Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....