Brother And Sister Drown In Shallow Los Angeles County Pond

LAKE HUGHES, CA — The search for two young siblings ended in tragedy Monday in Lake Hughes where a brother and sister drowned in a shallow pond, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported Tuesday.

After calling police to report the children missing, their mother and a neighbor found the 4-year-old Movses Aslanyan and his 3-year-old sister Lilya unconscious in a shallow pond near their home in the 43100 block of Lake Hughes Road shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, said Ronald Rodil of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

"Detectives later learned the children were last seen playing in the yard of the location," a sheriff's department statement said. "When the mother went to call them into the residence, she noticed the children were missing and began searching for them. The mother located them inside a shallow pond which was within a close proximity to the residence."

The children were rushed to a hospital where they both died. The boy died at about 9 p.m., and his little sister died a couple of hours later, Lt. Charles Calderaro told Fox 11.

Calderaro described deputies' efforts to save the children. The deputies initially went to the location on a report that the children were missing, he said.

"When they arrived, they discovered that the mother and a neighbor had located the children in a small pond located near the property," Calderaro said. "They noticed that the children were unresponsive. They immediately began CPR, paramedics were summoned to the location, they continued lifesaving efforts, and ultimately the young children were airlifted to the hospital."

Authorities are investigating to determine what led up to the children's deaths. Anyone with information about the drowning was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report.