9-Year-Old Boy Dies After Falling Into Bullfrog Creek

GIBSONTON, FL — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said a 9-year-old boy has died after being pulled from the waters of Bullfrog Creek in Gibsonton.

Deputies said the boy's mother told him to stay onshore while she and her brother went swimming in the creek Wednesday around 3 p.m. The boy, who wasn't a strong swimmer, ignored his mother's warnings and moved closer down the embankment to the creek and fell into an area where the water is 10 to 12 feet, said Sheriff Chad Chronister.

When the boy's mother and uncle couldn't locate him in the water, they began yelling for help and a nearby resident called 911. A deputy arrived and dove into the creek but was also unable to find the child. A sheriff's dive team arrived 20 minutes later. It took the team about 30 minutes to locate the boy. They began CPR and continued lifesaving measures while he was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital South where he was pronounced dead.