Police identify child, 4, who drowned in South Jersey
Authorities have identified a 4-year-old who drowned in a southern New Jersey river.
Police say Eli Chaney drowned in the Maurice River while at Waltman Park with his mother and two brothers on Saturday night.
Authorities said earlier in the week that 27-year-old Shalanda Chaney allowed her 8-year-old son to watch over the boy as she changed an infant’s diaper in a nearby parking lot. But when she came back, the boy was not there.
Authorities say Chaney searched the area and found her son in the water.
The child was later pronounced dead at Inspira Medical Center Vineland.
Swimming is not allowed in the area.
No charges have been filed against the mother. City police and Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office are investigating.
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