HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has determined that 9-year-old King Overton died by accidental drowning at SwimRVA-North on Chamberlayne Avenue, ruling out speculation that a medical emergency may have contributed to his death.
Henrico Police and Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor both said the investigation into King's death is ongoing and did not have any updates to share.
A spokesperson for Overton's family and the parent of another student at the same swim camp said they have serious concerns and questions about how this happened at a place committed to building a "drownproof Richmond."
The parent raised specific questions about the circumstances surrounding King's death.
"I'd like to know how many kids were in the pool at the time this happened, how many lifeguards were at the pool when this happened, how long had those lifeguards been in their positions and what were the ages of those lifeguards?" the parent said.
CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit asked SwimRVA's executive director those same questions, and we are waiting to hear back.
An investigation into state oversight of swim camps and swim schools in Virginia revealed significant gaps in regulation.
The Virginia Department of Health said the only oversight it has over SwimRVA pools relates to posting water quality test results, and that VDH does not conduct regular inspections of facilities under that regulation.
Virginia's Department of Social Services said it does not have any regulatory authority over SwimRVA or their camps or schools, and said that authority lies with the Virginia Department of Education.
The Virginia Department of Education said it has initiated an investigation into the situation. However, a spokesperson said SwimRVA is not a licensed program and therefore does not have to follow any state-mandated ratios or staff qualification standards for swimming instructors. VDOE added that Virginia does not have specific requirements related to ratios and instructor certifications for summer swim camps.
VDOE said it could not release any additional information at this time due to the active investigation.
Anyone with information can call Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660 or through the P3 app.
A GoFundMe has been established for a service for King.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
