{"id":30498,"date":"2025-07-11T00:21:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T00:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30498"},"modified":"2025-07-11T00:21:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T00:21:42","slug":"9-year-old-drowned-after-days-of-swimming-lessons-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30498","title":{"rendered":"9-Year-Old Drowned After Days of Swimming Lessons (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"loc article-header\">\n<div id=\"people-article-header_1-0\" class=\"comp people-article-header mntl-article-header\">\n<h1><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"article-heading text-headline-300\">9-Year-Old Disappeared in Pool in a &#8216;Split Second&#8217; and Drowned After Days of Swimming Lessons (Exclusive)<\/h1>\n<p class=\"article-subheading text-utility-300\">&#8220;She was our whole world,&#8221; Ava McCourt&#8217;s aunt tells PEOPLE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"loc article-content\">\n<div id=\"article__primary-video-container_1-0\" class=\"comp article__primary-video-container mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"figure-article_1-0\" class=\"comp figure-article mntl-universal-primary-image right-rail__offset text-utility-100 figure-landscape primary-image\">\n<div class=\"primary-image__media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\" style=\"padding-bottom: 66.6%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/NXAo33IARH6UrS9gTRAytQNd3OI=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(725x317:727x319)\/Ava-McCourt-070925-1-a96c5263cfa84d089b4b470dfee0f93c.jpg\" alt=\"9-Year-Old Drowns in Pool After Days of Swimming Lessons\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" \/><noscript><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/NXAo33IARH6UrS9gTRAytQNd3OI=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(725x317:727x319)\/Ava-McCourt-070925-1-a96c5263cfa84d089b4b470dfee0f93c.jpg\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" alt=\"9-Year-Old Drowns in Pool After Days of Swimming Lessons\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\"><br \/>\n<\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"primary-image__figcap_1-0\" class=\"comp primary-image__figcap mntl-figure-caption figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">Ava McCourt.<\/span> <span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\">Credit :<\/span><\/span>Courtesy of Jaimee Sergent<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"article-content_1-0\" class=\"comp article-content mntl-block\">\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-page_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-page mntl-block structured-content\" data-sc-sticky-offset=\"90\" data-sc-ad-label-height=\"24\" data-sc-ad-track-spacing=\"100\" data-sc-min-track-height=\"250\" data-sc-max-track-height=\"600\" data-sc-breakpoint=\"50em\" data-sc-load-immediate=\"4\" data-sc-content-positions=\"[1, 1250, 1550, 1950, 2350, 2750, 3150, 3550, 3950]\" data-bind-scroll-on-start=\"true\">\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-callout mntl-sc-block-universal-callout theme-needtoknow\" data-tracking-id=\"mntl-sc-block-callout\" data-tracking-container=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mntl-sc-block-universal-callout__heading\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<div class=\"mntl-sc-block-universal-callout__body\">\n<ul>\n<li>Ava McCourt, 9, died after she drowned in a busy Ohio swimming pool<\/li>\n<li>Jaimee Sergent tells PEOPLE that her niece &#8220;lit up a room without even blinking&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The coroner&#8217;s office tells PEOPLE that the case remains open and under investigation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">A 9-year-old girl died after she drowned in an Ohio swimming pool, according to her family.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_4-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">The girl \u2014 identified by family members and the Seneca County Coroner&#8217;s Office as Ava McCourt \u2014 died on June 28 after being found in a pool in Tiffin.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_5-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_6-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Ava&#8217;s aunt, Jaimee Sergent, who was not there that day, tells PEOPLE that the girl had just started having swimming lessons with her family days earlier. &#8220;Ava was always eager to learn,&#8221; Sergent says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_8-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">On the day Ava died, Sergent says there were about 20 people at the pool and that Ava was being supervised by family and several bystanders.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_10-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">But in a &#8220;split second,&#8221; Ava \u2014 who had been making her way along the edge of the pool \u2014 was gone, according to Sergent, who says &#8220;panic immediately set in.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_11-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_12-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-portrait figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\" style=\"padding-bottom: 119.1%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_1-0\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2wAoLwNxUM23d7jXW5Ifp3s28E0=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2)\/Ava-McCourt-070925-3-22f1f18c87d84f06b737a57b484e14e2.jpg\" alt=\"9-Year-Old Drowns in Pool After Days of Swimming Lessons\" width=\"1333\" height=\"1588\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2wAoLwNxUM23d7jXW5Ifp3s28E0=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2)\/Ava-McCourt-070925-3-22f1f18c87d84f06b737a57b484e14e2.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><noscript><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2wAoLwNxUM23d7jXW5Ifp3s28E0=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2)\/Ava-McCourt-070925-3-22f1f18c87d84f06b737a57b484e14e2.jpg\" width=\"1333\" height=\"1588\" alt=\"9-Year-Old Drowns in Pool After Days of Swimming Lessons\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\"><br \/>\n<\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">Ava McCourt.<\/span>Courtesy of Jaimee Sergent<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_13-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox8live.com\/2025\/07\/07\/she-never-met-stranger-9-year-old-girl-drowns-after-days-swimming-lessons\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">WTVG<\/a>, an unidentified woman who said she had been teaching Ava to swim told local police that when she noticed that McCourt was missing, people around the pool began to search for her.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_14-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_15-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Sergent tells PEOPLE that a grandma visiting the pool with her 13-year-old grandson was the one who spotted Ava near the bottom of the water. Both the teen and Ava&#8217;s stepmom jumped in the pool to retrieve her.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_16-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_17-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Sergent says that an off-duty EMT just happened to be there and &#8220;immediately started CPR&#8221; until EMS arrived and took over.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_18-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_19-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-news-inline\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_20-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_21-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Authorities &#8220;did everything within their power&#8221; to bring Ava back, according to her aunt, who says the family takes solace &#8220;in the fact that God was there to hold her hand and take her home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_22-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_23-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;Now she&#8217;s dancing with the lord in the stars,&#8221; she adds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_24-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_25-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">The Seneca County Coroner&#8217;s Office tells PEOPLE her body was sent for autopsy and a final pathology report is pending at this time. The Seneca County Sheriff&#8217;s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE&#8217;s request for comment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_26-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_27-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-spotlight--mid-circ mntl-sc-block-spotlight--mid-circ mntl-block\">\n<h2 id=\"midcirc__heading_1-0\" class=\"comp midcirc__heading mntl-text-block\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div id=\"midcirc__card-list_1-0\" class=\"comp midcirc__card-list mntl-block\">\n<div id=\"midcirc-card__title_1-0\" class=\"comp midcirc-card__title mntl-text-block\">Boy Who Accidentally Drowned in Pool Was Weeks Shy of Turning 4, Family Says<\/div>\n<div id=\"midcirc-card__image-wrapper_1-0\" class=\"comp midcirc-card__image-wrapper mntl-block\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\" style=\"padding-bottom: 66.6%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/hZvV_XlKtxEZODnon95_MGqzK_k=\/300x200\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/Dion-3-year-old-061725-tout-ce9c541c02be4f61aed5869f9aaad1f8.jpg\" alt=\"Dion Robbins\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><noscript><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/hZvV_XlKtxEZODnon95_MGqzK_k=\/300x200\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/Dion-3-year-old-061725-tout-ce9c541c02be4f61aed5869f9aaad1f8.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" alt=\"Dion Robbins\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\"><br \/>\n<\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"midcirc-card__title_2-0\" class=\"comp midcirc-card__title mntl-text-block\">Officials Detail How 4 Teens Drowned on Camping Trip, as Parents Share Heartbreak: &#8216;Worst Nightmare&#8217;<\/div>\n<div id=\"midcirc-card__image-wrapper_2-0\" class=\"comp midcirc-card__image-wrapper mntl-block\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\" style=\"padding-bottom: 66.6%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/jgnn5dJL8_eYLfjwWaI1jPd0pz0=\/300x200\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/north-wales-camping-trip-deaths-112923-1-189ddd1bfcc94055ab10bdfa9cf1adf8.jpg\" alt=\"a photo of the four teenagers, Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett, and Hugo Morris, who died in a car crash in Snowdonia, North Wales\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><noscript><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/jgnn5dJL8_eYLfjwWaI1jPd0pz0=\/300x200\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/north-wales-camping-trip-deaths-112923-1-189ddd1bfcc94055ab10bdfa9cf1adf8.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" alt=\"a photo of the four teenagers, Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett, and Hugo Morris, who died in a car crash in Snowdonia, North Wales\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\"><br \/>\n<\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_28-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_29-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Her aunt tells PEOPLE she&#8217;s hoping to raise awareness to &#8220;prevent another family from this pain&#8221; and that she&#8217;s also launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/in-loving-memory-of-ava-rose-mccourt\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">GoFundMe<\/a> for Ava&#8217;s family.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_30-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_31-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;She was our whole world,&#8221; Sergent says. &#8220;Lit up a room without even blinking.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_32-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_33-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;My little niece was the ray of sunshine sneaking through a thunderstorm. She could always find a way to make everyone giggle,&#8221; she adds. &#8220;She was loved and cherished by so many.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>9-Year-Old Disappeared in Pool in a &#8216;Split Second&#8217; and Drowned After Days of Swimming Lessons (Exclusive) &#8220;She was our whole world,&#8221; Ava McCourt&#8217;s aunt tells PEOPLE Ava McCourt. Credit :Courtesy &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30500,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30498\/revisions\/30500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}