Strongsville Girl Dies After Being Found In Pool

STRONGSVILLE, OH — A 3-year-old girl died Thursday after being found floating in a neighbor's pool in Strongsville. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office identified the girl as Aria Kalinich on Friday morning.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family. We are grieving for their loss along with them," Strongsville Police Chief Mark Fender told Patch.

Kalinich was seen running through her neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. Witnesses told Fox 8 they tried to catch the girl but never managed to wrangle her. Police began receiving reports about the child at 1 p.m.

Officers scoured the area and found the 3-year-old girl floating in a swimming pool, not far from her own home. Life-saving first aid was attempted and the girl was then rushed to Southwest General Health Center. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Kalinich's mother, who was out of the house when the girl began running down the street, told WKYC that her daughter had autism and would occasionally try to sneak out of the house. This tendency is called elopement and is common in individuals with cognitive disabilities.

She said she wants more people to understand the risks posed by elopement.

"I wasn't right to step away and I blame myself, I blame myself a lot, everyone blames me, I'm sure you know," Jessica Baksi, Kalinich's mother told WKYC. "But you know, I just want to make sure her story doesn't go in vain."