Nature center closes after boy, 5, drowns

State agency says unlicensed camp was shut down.

The south Fulton County nature center where a 5-yearold drowned during day camp will be closed until further notice, according to the center’s website. Benjamin “Kamau” Hosch III died Friday after being found underwater at Cochran Mill Nature Center in Chattahoochee Hills. Kamau was attending Camp Cricket at the center when he disappeared after lunch. The 13 campers had been allowed to splash in shallow water, according to investigators. But Kamau somehow wandered away unnoticed by the four adults with his group. He later died at the hospital. An autopsy was conducted on the Atlanta boy, but the results were not finalized late Tuesday, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. On Monday, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, or DECAL, said the camp was unlicensed and shut it down. A DECAL spokesman said Tuesday the investigation into the death continues, and other campers and staff members will be interviewed. No criminal charges have been filed in the boy’s death, the Chattahoochee Hills city manager said Tuesday. Kamau’s parents said Monday they plan to file a lawsuit against the camp, which declined to comment Tuesday. In an emailed statement Monday, a camp spokesman said the nature center had hosted events for children for 23 years without incident. “The board, staff and volunteers of the Cochran Mill Nature Center are heartbroken and distraught over this tragedy,” the statement read. The nature center is located on approximately 50 acres adjacent to Cochran Mill Park. A lodge at the nature center opened to the public in 1994.