3-year-old dies after wandering out of foster home, authorities say

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WVVA/Gray News) - A 3-year-old child in West Virginia was found dead Monday after wandering out of the back door of foster home undetected.

Deputies were dispatched to the home on Happy Valley Road in Parkersburg just before 9 p.m. after the child was reported missing, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department said.

Deputies said they searched the exterior of the house and found the child unresponsive in the water near a dock. The child was found in Little Kanawha River, the Parkersburg News and Sentinel said.

Deputies began life-saving measures until medics arrived, but the child was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Deputies notified Child Protective Services about the child’s death, which remains under investigation.

No foul play is suspected at this time. The sheriff’s department said they’re not releasing the identities of those involved at this time.