HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR)--How did 11-year old Frederick Fitzgerald, Jr. end up in the bottom of this pool? And why?
Tuesday, CBS 6 tried to talk to management at Shannon Townhomes about their policy, but they wouldn't allow us on the property. Henrico police detectives were on the grounds, continuing their investigation.
Neighbors say they feel for the family and the pool monitor on duty Saturday.
"He's hurt right now actually," said one resident.
We talked to one resident who didn’t want to be identified. She tells us that the pool monitor jumped in the water to find Fred Fitzgerald, Jr. when the other kids said they saw him in the pool.
"Just imagine, you go in there, you try to find somebody and you wake up that next morning. And you find the kid that you were looking...was at the bottom of the pool,” said the woman.
She says the pool monitor complained to management about the cloudy conditions, but she says management didn't act on his concerns.
Henrico dive team members also had a hard time finding Fitzgerald's body because of the pools conditions.
"The lack of clarity in the water. And the enjoyment and refreshment of the water is not worth a child's life,” said Douglas Salvia, Douglas Aquatics, Inc.
Doug Salvia, President of Douglas Aquatics, Inc showed us what a clear pool should look like.
Salvia says water and air temperatures, and PH levels must be monitored or else the water will be cloudy.
"To get that blue color of the water, you get it by chlorination,” said Salvia. “But it will not provide your clarity, only provide disinfection."
Salvia says state law requires that a disc, at least six inches in diameter must be placed 30 feet and visible from the deep end of the pool.
"So, easily within 30 feet if I were a lifeguard sitting distance from the deck,” said Salvia, “I could see a patron in the bottom of the pool and react to that."
Douglas Salvia tells CBS 6, state law doesn’t apply to private properties like Apartment complexes, Homeowners Associations, and Country Clubs.
But if you have concerns about a pool’s conditions, you can call the city or county health departments and they will do pool inspections because there could be a health risk.
