An adult whose identity has not yet been released will potentially be criminally charged after a 2-year-old boy died in a pool while under their watch, though the toddler’s mother insisted she believes it was an accident. .
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said that it has completed its investigation into the boy’s death and submitted the case to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, according to News 4 San Antonio.
The district attorney’s office has now been tasked to review the case and determine what charges are appropriate or if the adult will be charged. No charges had been filed as of Friday, August 28, per the outlet.
Despite confirming that the case is under evaluation, the sheriff’s office has not said who they believe should face charges or what potential offense they may have committed.
The tragic incident happened earlier in August when Malachi LeBlanc was attending a playdate that was supervised by a trusted adult. He nearly drowned during the playdate at a community pool in San Antonio’s Indian Springs subdivision, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The newspaper reported that the adult was supervising LeBlanc and several other children at the time.
The boy’s mother, Grace LeBlanc, spoke to San Antonio Express-News and said she had “complete faith in” the adult who was supervising her child at the time and “wholeheartedly believes” his death was an accident.
Grace went on to say that she strongly opposed criminal charges against the adult and did not know that the sheriff’s office intended to pursue charges until the newspaper contacted her to discuss the situation.
Grace and her husband, Myron LeBlanc, were not at the pool when Malachi was found unresponsive.
First responders performed CPR before he was taken to North Central Baptist Hospital for treatment. Doctors determined that Malachi was brain dead and could not breathe independently, and he died four days after the incident on August 9.
Malachi’s death was ultimately ruled an accident caused by complications of near-drowning, per the newspaper.
Grace shared that her family regularly went swimming together and said that Malachi loved the water. “I’m convinced that he thought he could swim because he would try to get in the water all the time without his floaties,” she told the outlet.
After Malachi was declared brain dead, his parents decided to donate his organs after they were approached by the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance.
“If God wasn’t going to give us the miracle that we’re praying for, then this can be a miracle for other children,” Grace recalled Myron telling her while they were discussing the decision.
Grace said that doctors retrieved Malachi’s heart, kidneys and liver that went to three children in Texas awaiting transplants.
She also opened up about her son’s legacy and said she wants Malachi to be remembered for his joyful personality, as well as that he saved lives.
“He always knew how to make you feel beautiful,” she said. “He loved to say, ‘I love you,’ and he meant it when he said it.”
Grace continued, “Knowing that I will see my son again has really carried me through this. I know that right now, where he’s at, he’s being loved on more than we could ever love on him.”
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