Boy taken off life support

7-year-old found unresponsive in pond last week

A 7-year-old boy was taken off life support Tuesday five days after being found unresponsive in the family’s pond.

Last Thursday, Novi police responded to the report of a child who was found unresponsive in a pond, located on the family’s property in the 50000 block of Nine Mile Road. The father had pulled his son from the pond and was given instructions for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by emergency response personnel.

Once on scene, Novi police and fire personnel immediately began live saving measures before he was transported to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi and then air lifted to University of Michigan Mott for further medical treatment.

Detective Shawn Penzak said the boy was in critical condition and on life support the entire time spent at U-M. The boy was taken off life support Tuesday afternoon and then underwent surgery to remove some organs, as he was an organ

donor.

“That decision was made sometime Tuesday afternoon,” said Penzak. “There was no improvement. The cause of death was from the drowning. We’re trying to give the family their privacy, peace, and space to heal. It’s a shock to everybody.”

At this point, Penzak said it’s unclear how the boy ended up in the pond, located on the front part of their property.

“It’s not abnormal for them to use their pond,” he said. “What led to him going out to the pond we don’t know. He was last seen playing seen playing inside and then when it was time for the family to head out to a birthday dinner, they couldn’t find him and that’s what led to the search.”