DCFS Urges Water Safety After Local Drowning Tragedy

With summer approaching and families heading outdoors, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is urging parents and caregivers to remain vigilant when children are in or near water. The agency’s renewed water safety campaign follows a troubling rise in accidental drownings statewide — and echoes a high-profile drowning case from Sangamon County that drew national attention last year.

In 2024, 19 children in Illinois died from accidental drownings, including eight in pools, four in lakes, four in rivers, two in ponds, and one in a bathtub. Nine of the victims were age 5 or younger.

“Children are easily attracted to water, and even turning your attention away from a child near water for a moment to answer a phone call or tend to a child in the next room can result in dire consequences,” said Illinois DCFS Director Heidi E. Mueller. “Drownings happen quickly and silently in as little as one inch of water. We ask all caregivers to be responsible for watching their children no matter how well that child can swim as not all drownings involve waving, yelling and splashing. Please remember to be water wise and supervise your children if you are near water this summer.”

This statewide warning comes as Central Illinois continues to feel the impact of a tragic drowning involving a foster child last year, which led to criminal charges against a former Democratic Party-endorsed candidate for Springfield alderman, David Yankee.

Yankee was indicted in July 2024 in connection with the death of 7-year-old Barrett Koches, who drowned on March 16, 2024, in a backyard pool at Yankee’s home on Winnebago Drive. Barrett and his 4-year-old brother had been living with Yankee and his husband, Michael, as foster children for less than a month.

A DCFS investigation revealed that Yankee left the children in the care of a 10-year-old while he went to Wal-Mart for approximately an hour. Under Illinois law, a child is considered “unattended” if not supervised by someone at least 14 years old.

Following the incident, Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced that a grand jury returned four counts of Endangering the Life or Health of a Child against Yankee. The other foster children in the household were subsequently removed. Yankee made his first court appearance in 2024, and his case remains ongoing, with a hearing schedualed this week.

The CDC reports that drowning is now the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14, with national drowning deaths increasing by 28% between 2019 and 2022.

DCFS is emphasizing critical safety measures for families this summer:

• Never leave a young child unattended in a bathtub or near water.

• Always assign a responsible adult to actively supervise children in pools or open water.

• Install proper fencing and safety gates around pools and hot tubs.

• Enroll children in swimming lessons and keep rescue equipment nearby.

More water safety tips and resources can be found at dcfs.illinois.gov/for-families/safety/water-safety.html. To report suspected child abuse or neglect, visit childabuse.illinois.gov.