KEY POINTS
- Cause of death is drowning for Leroy Toppins
- Funeral Saturday for 2-year-old
- Toddler's body found at 7 p.m. April 4
- He was reported missing around 6 p.m. April 3
- Sheriff says foul play is not suspected
UPDATE @ 7:45 p.m. April 6
Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said the toddler from Washington Court House drowned in what appears to be a tragic accident.
Leroy Toppins, 2, was found in a pond around 7 p.m. Saturday near his family’s home. He was reported missing around 6 p.m. Friday.
“There is nothing to indicate any foul play. There is nothing to indicate anything other than an accidental drowning,” the sheriff said.
The family is devastated by the loss of their young son, he said.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be reviewed by the Fayette County Prosecutor’s Office, which Stanforth said is customary in unsupervised deaths.
Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Heritage Memorial Church, 1867 Old U.S. 35 in Washington Court House. Visitation is at 9 a.m. until the start of the service.
Leroy is survived by his parents Dustin and Anna Toppins and brother Trevon as well as his grandparents, according to his obituary posted on the Summers Funeral Home website.
UPDATE @ 12:11 a.m. April 5
People came from all over Central Ohio to help find the little boy with blond hair and big blue eyes who wandered off while playing in his yard a little more than 24 hours before his body was found. His family reported him missing around 6 p.m. Friday.
Law enforcement officers and firefighters from multiple counties took part in the search as well as hundreds of volunteers. They searched a quarry close to the family’s home as well as wooded areas. Dive teams also searched nearby creeks, and a drone was involved.
“We’ve all got kids and grandkids, it touches all of us tremendously,” Chief Ralph Stegbauer from the Concord Greene Fire Department told WBNS.
At dusk Saturday, and after an intensive and exhaustive search by air, land and water, search dogs eventually led crews to a pond close to the family’s home where the boy’s body was discovered.
“A firefighter in the area used a grappling hook on a pole and was able to enter the water, and work the area where the dog had indicated,” Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth told WBNS. “And in about 3 feet of water and 3 feet from the shore, we were able to recover the body.”
Stanforth said there was no indication of foul play and that he believes the child’s death is likely accidental.
The body has been taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in Dayton, where an autopsy will be performed.
It’s a heartbreaking end for this tight-knit community.
“It’s going to be rough for the family,” said family friend Virgil Martin. “I know the family real well.”
UPDATE @ 8:19 p.m.
The body of missing 2-year-old Leroy J. Toppins was found in a pond near his family’s home, WBNS-TV in Columbus reported.
Fayette County Sheriff Vernon P. Stanforth said police, rescue crews and volunteers were searching for the child in the Sugar Creek Stone Quarry and nearby woods. A dive team, boats and a drone were used in the search effort, the sheriff told WBNS.
The toddler had been missing for just over 24 hours when his body was found in the water. He apparently had wandered away from the front yard of his family’s home, located nearby.
The quarry had been abandoned for several years, said Concord Green Fire Chief Ralph Stegbauer.
“Even the creek lines where the volunteers are working are very steep. A lot of brush, a lot of trees and, of course, this time of year the water is up high so we have a lot of things in the water,” Stegbauer told WBNS.
FIRST REPORT
The body of a missing toddler was found this evening in Washington Court House.
Leroy J. Toppins went missing around 6 p.m. Friday. His body was found shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday, according to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, WBNS-TV in Columbus reported.
Family members reported Leroy missing after he was last seen playing outside his family’s home on Staunton-Sugar Grove Road.
More than 100 people searched for the boy Saturday.
“In addition to the Toppins’ home and nearby properties, the residence is located adjacent to the former Sugar Creek Stone Quarry and emergency personnel are focusing efforts to the large body of water at that location as well as the wooded areas and creeks in the area,” Sheriff Vernon P. Stanforth told WBNS.
The sheriff said he planned to hold a press conference at about 8 p.m. detailing where the child was found.
A K-9 unit and divers from the Washington Court House Fire Department and Ross County Sheriff’s Office assisted with search efforts.