An ordinary summer day at a mobile home park in Ohio turned into a devastating tragedy when 9-year-old Ava Rose McCourt drowned in a residential pool, surrounded by adults — including her father’s fiancée — who didn’t realize anything was wrong until it was too late.
On June 28, Ava was swimming at the Clinton Mobile Home Resort in Tiffin with several adults, including Christina Bryant, her dad’s fiancée, reported PEOPLE. According to the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, Bryant told Deputy Christopher Potter she had seen Ava floating on a pool noodle moments before the heartbreaking incident. Ava wasn’t able to swim, and when Bryant looked away for just a short moment, the little girl slipped under the water unnoticed.
Bryant told police that when she turned her head back, Ava was gone. The search began almost immediately, but it wasn’t an adult who spotted her. Another child found Ava at the bottom of the pool’s deep end. Adults pulled her from the water and started CPR while waiting for help, but sadly, she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Mercy Tiffin Hospital.
Ava had been a student at Krout Elementary School in Tiffin, and her obituary paints the picture of a joyful little girl with a huge heart. “Ava loved life and enjoyed singing, dancing, laughing and giving hugs. She was a very kind girl and loved to spend time with her family and shopping,” the obituary shared.
Friends of the family, Rebecca Duncan and Rhonda Yarrish, launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the grieving parents. Nearly $2,000 has been raised so far. The page is filled with heartfelt memories and love for Ava.
“Ava had the sweetest soul and knew no stranger. She was always one to run up to you to give the biggest and best hugs. She brought so much joy and love to her family and friends,” one message on the page reads. “Jesse, Chrissy, and Kinsey loved their daughter to pieces, and she will be missed dearly by many.”
Despite the heartbreaking loss, authorities confirmed there were no safety violations at the pool, and prosecutors have decided not to file any charges. The police have officially closed the investigation.
It’s the kind of tragedy that leaves a community reeling — a little girl full of life, surrounded by people who cared about her, gone in an instant. It also serves as a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly accidents can happen, especially around water. Ava’s story is one no family should have to tell, yet her short life clearly touched so many.