Thread: Murky water hid dead body in public pool ... for 2 days

2 hrs 31 mins ago



FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — A preliminary investigation shows "murky and cloudy" water in a public swimming pool helped conceal the body of a drowned woman for two days while people swam there, authorities said Friday.

The Bristol County district attorney's office said the body of Marie Joseph was submerged at the bottom of the 12-foot-deep end of the pool from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday evening.

Joseph, 36, was a hotel housekeeper in Newport, R.I. She was from Haiti and had five children. Her body was discovered after it floated to the surface shortly before some youngsters sneaked into the pool for a clandestine swim Tuesday night.

The medical examiner's office has determined the manner of her death to be accidental and the cause to be asphyxiation by drowning.

The probe shows the water in the Fall River pool was murky from the time the pool opened for the season last Saturday. Visibility tests conducted Wednesday revealed a diver couldn't be seen at a depth of 3 1/2 to 4 feet below the surface of the water. "Although this office is releasing this preliminary information regarding the case today, the investigation into the death, the circumstances surrounding it and the delay in discovering the body is ongoing," the district attorney's office said in a statement.

State Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Edward Lambert said the preliminary findings "are deeply disturbing."

The agency will immediately begin investigating issues related to Joseph's death, including clarity of the pool water and whether water quality protocols were followed, Lambert said.

The death at Veterans Memorial Pool surprised and troubled swimmers, residents and public officials.

Lambert's agency, which runs the pool, immediately closed all 30 deep-water swimming pools and began reviewing safety and operational procedures.

Lambert said that 11 pools reopened Friday after safety inspectors found they met all safety guidelines and their staffs are well-trained. Additional pools will reopen once their reviews are complete.

But the Fall River pool will not reopen anytime soon because its entire staff has been suspended. City officials also have said that they will not issue a permit to reopen until state officials assure them that swimmers will be safe there.

Lambert, however, said state-run pools do not require local permits to operate.

"There are some instances where local communities come in and perform inspections. We don't discourage that," he said.

State officials on Friday sought to reassure the public about safety at public swimming pools ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend.

Lambert said the pool closures and subsequent safety review reflected his agency's desire to "err on the side of caution so the public could have confidence in our facilities."

http://news.yahoo.com/murky-water-hi...230805392.html

Another story I read stated that she went down the slide with her son and never resurfaced. If she was at the pool with her kids, why did they leave without her ? The report also stated that other people were in the pool swimming for the two days that she was at the bottom of the pool ?? No one noticed ?? Usually when the people get out of the pool, you can see the bottom ... and I would not be getting in a pool that was that "murky"

I know...how nasty! It has been on the news all week..I don't understand HOW they could not spot a body, cloudy water or not.

The news I watch said she went down a slide with a 9 year old relative and they bumped hads..and he never saw her again. Now I know he is only 9 but WTF..my daughter is 8 and would have been like where the hell is Auntie..and then they just left??

Boy begged Mass. guards to aid sinking woman
AP – Sun, Jul 3, 2011

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — A 9-year-old boy told two lifeguards that a woman had not resurfaced after entering the murky waters of a public swimming pool and appearing to struggle, his mother said.

The body of 36-year-old Marie Joseph was found in the Veterans Memorial Pool two days later, on Tuesday night. Officials have been investigating how she could have been in the pool for so long without being noticed.

The boy's mother told the Boston Herald for its Sunday edition that the woman had bumped into her son on a pool slide before she disappeared underwater. "He did tell two lifeguards — one said she was on break, and had to leave and the other told him they were going to do a pool check," the woman told the newspaper. "But he told me they never did."

The Associated Press, which does not report the names of children who may be witnesses to a crime, is not identifying the woman to protect the privacy of her son.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is investigating issues related to Joseph's death, including the clarity of the pool water and whether quality protocols were followed. No one has been charged in the drowning.

His mother said her son is undergoing counseling.

The Fall River pool is 12 feet deep and employs 12 staffers, six of whom are lifeguards and are certified by the Red Cross. All six were on duty last Sunday, the Herald reported. "Those lifeguards need to be fired," the boy's mother told the Herald. "He's stressed out. He keeps crying, and he thinks he could have saved this lady."

The medical examiner's office has labeled the death an accidental drowning.

Commissioner Edward M. Lambert Jr. with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said they don't know whether any of the lifeguards looked for Lambert. "We hope to learn that from the investigation," Lambert said. "We are as anxious as anybody to get answers to this."

An initial investigation showed the water in the pool was murky from the time the pool opened for the season last Saturday. Visibility tests conducted Wednesday revealed a diver couldn't be seen at a depth of 3 1/2 to 4 feet below the surface of the water.

Joseph was a hotel housekeeper in Newport, R.I. She was from Haiti and had five children. Her body was discovered after it floated to the surface shortly before some youngsters sneaked into the pool for a clandestine swim Tuesday night.

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Information from: Boston Herald, http://www.bostonherald.com

http://news.yahoo.com/mom-boy-begged...151605072.html

comments

This is a senseless tragedy. I life guarded for several years and have seen cloudy conditions in water, but NEVER water that was so murky a diver couldn't be seen four feet under. That's insane. Not only should a major investigation surround the lifeguards, but also the pool conditions. Even murky lakes show a person at four feet.

Tragic and preventable.

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I am a lifeguard and swim instructor/coach.
If the facts af this story are correct.
The director as well as all the guards on duty should be fired.
This shows a complete lack of maintainence and overall management of, and by, the staff.

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This is terrible. Where is the human compassion and caring about other lives? Can't save a life because she is on break time? Going to do a pool check? When would that be, whenever they got around to it? I just don't get it. But I am afraid this uncaring attitude is becoming more the norm anymore.

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Firstly, why was the water not clean and clear? Why could they not see the bottom of the pool? Secondly, why was the lifeguard going on break when a situation arose? In an emergency, it should be all hands on deck and everybody out of the pool until the problem is resolved.

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When pool water is murky as it was in this case, the pool should be CLOSED until such time as it clears. AT the very least the lifeguards should be held accountable in court (involuntary manslaughter). When someone is in danger of drowning there is no such excuse as "I'm on a break"! When someone is in danger all breaks end, at least in my book!

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How is it even possible for a SWIMMING POOL to be so murky that no one saw a body in the water for TWO DAYS? Unbelievable. Not only should the lifeguards be fired but that pool must be shut down immediately.

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Fired? They need to be charged with Criminal Neglegence.

I don't fault the life guards as much as I fault the owners/managers of the pool. They are the ones who should face charges of endagerment.

If the pool was in that condition, it should not have been open.

Originally Posted by pepperpot

I don't fault the life guards as much as I fault the owners/managers of the pool. They are the ones who should face charges of endagerment.

IF a "lifeguard" said that she was on a break when someone is in trouble -- that is a MAJOR problem. If there is a problem, then it is addressed at that moment... not when it is convient. If a "lifeguard" was going to call for a pool check ... and did not -- that is a MAJOR problem. You put the whistle in your mouth and get everyone OUT of the water for a count... no excuses.

If the pool was in that condition, it should not have been open.

If the pool was in that condition ... I would not have gotten in it AT ALL

I'm sure the lifeguard was like, I Ain't Getting In That Nasty Water.

Then they should not have taken the job if they can't handle the responsibilties

I have to wonder if this is true..the kid never said that he said anything to anyone until today. Originally he said "we kinda bumped heads and I never saw her after that".

I agree, I'm having a hard time accepting that this child approached lifeguards with any real conviction if at all.