12-year-old boy drowns at closed water park after jumping fence, Iowa police say

A 12-year-old boy accidentally drowned in a pool at a closed water park, Iowa police say.

The Council Bluffs Police Department said a worker at Pirate Cove Water Park found the boy’s body in the deep end of the pool at 7 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11.

Pirate Cove, which is operated by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department, had been closed for the 2023 season.

Police said they think the boy jumped the fence to the park before entering the pool and accidentally drowning. Officers said he likely went in the pool early Monday morning.

Police have not publicly identified the boy, only saying he was a student at Wilson Jr. High School in Council Bluffs.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share that we are mourning the death of a new Wilson student,” the school said in a statement obtained by KETV. “As a school community, we will support each other, the family, and our students during this difficult time.”

Council Bluffs, in western Iowa, is a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska.

This story was originally published September 12, 2023 at 9:47 AM with the headline "12-year-old boy drowns at closed water park after jumping fence, Iowa police say."