Recent drowning of 2-year-old puts focus on water safety ahead of vacation season in SC

Ten minutes. That is how long family members told police it took between the time a 2-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio boy went missing and was found in a canal behind the Airbnb they had rented in North Myrtle Beach last month.

In another case, a Georgia mother has filed a lawsuit against a Myrtle Beach hotel after her son drowned in the lodging’s pool.

In an area where some body of water surrounds many homes and hotels, and more than 1 million people come to vacation each year, the possibility of such tragedies is significantly increased.

It’s why officials are suggesting that people take precautions when planning a trip to the Myrtle Beach area -- especially if renting at a property with a pool or near water.

“We’d simply encourage (visitors) to look into the regulations in the state and community they visit, and verify that the property they wish to occupy is within compliance,” according to Horry County spokesperson Mikayla Moskov. “The overarching notion that children should always be supervised around water, whether it’s a pool, ocean, or even bathtub, is also at play.”

Family was preparing to leave Airbnb to head back home

Family members told police they were packing up to leave the Airbnb they had rented in North Myrtle Beach and return home Feb. 21 when a headcount of the children was conducted. That’s when they realized the 2-year-old was missing, according to a police report.

The family began to search the inside and outside of the home. An uncle discovered the child in the inlet, the report said.

Barron Mitchell Jr. died after being transported to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, the coroner’s office wrote in a statement Feb. 23.

The incident happened along 54th Avenue North, according to the statement. The Airbnb the family had rented was located along the inlet of the Intracoastal Waterway.

The home, which sits among other similar-designed homes, some also for rent, is elevated and sits above a carport with access to the top portion by stairs in the front and back of the house. The back of the home has a deck that overlooks the inlet.

There is no fencing along the inlet.

The homeowner, who was at the home on Feb. 25 and said he was getting it ready for the next renters, would not comment on the drowning or if family members contacted him about the incident. He said he read about the drowning in the media.

Number of drownings reported in Horry County

There were 12 drownings in Horry County last year, according to the Horry County Coroner’s Office. In 2021, there were 26 and 17 in 2020.

So far this year, there has been one.

The latest numbers from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control showed 16 drownings in Horry County in 2020.

Nearly two drowning deaths per every 100,000 people occurred in South Carolina from 2016 through 2020, the CDC reported. South Carolina was reported to have more than 5 million residents in 2022.

Information from the coroner’s office and SCDHEC did not provide where the drownings occurred.

A spokesperson with the Horry County Coroner’s Office said it was difficult to obtain that information as their system didn’t immediately provide it.

A search of stories regarding drownings the past two years showed that they occurred both in the ocean and at properties with a pool, including several hotels.

Mother files suit over 10-year-old’s drowning at hotel pool

The mother of a 10-year-old, who drowned at a hotel pool in Myrtle Beach in 2021, filed a lawsuit March 7 against the hotel where the drowning occurred.

Chanel Gwynne filed suit against Ocean Plaza Inn, which is listed as doing business as Polynesian Ocean Front Hotel, and Kurush Shroff, listed as the sole shareholder of Ocean Plaza Inn.

Gwynne, who is listed as a resident of Georgia, filed the wrongful death suit on behalf of her son, Seth Orobor, who died March 27, 2021, while swimming in the pool at the hotel that is located along Ocean Boulevard.

Seth was swimming with other people in the pool before his body was found on the bottom of the pool, the suit says.

The suit claims that the circulation system and water clarity of the pool, which was allegedly cloudy, and unsafe and insufficient pool lighting, contributed to Orobor’s death. The conditions were “unsafe to persons in and around the pool and in violation of applicable standards and regulations,” and the defendant failed to close the pool, the suit claims.

Gwynne is being represented by Christopher McCool and Brooklyn O’Shea of O’Shea Law Firm in Charleston.

Calls to Gwynne’s attorney McCool seeking comment about the suit were unsuccessful.

Attempts to reach Shroff at the hotels and by what is believed to be a personal phone number were also unsuccessful.

Hundreds of homes with pools available for rent

The Airbnb where the 2-year-old drowned does not have a pool.

Officials with Airbnb did not respond with a comment for this story, but did confirm the house didn’t have a pool.

There are 100 homes with pools within 10 miles of North Myrtle Beach available for rent, according to a March 7 search of Airbnb. There also are a number of channel homes available.

In Myrtle Beach, there were 656 homes available for rent with pools.

Homes in that same area of 54th Avenue North are renting between $300 to more than $600 a night on Airbnb. Many of those are located along the channel.

There are guidelines in place in Horry County for properties with pools and spas.

Horry County follows the guidelines of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code which outlines barrier requirements for property owners with pools or spas, according to Moskov.

Home and property owners must sign an affidavit that states they will “take full responsibility as the property owner for ensuring the pool fence or barrier is constructed in accordance with these requirements.” That includes making sure all swimming pools are enclosed by barriers/gates and that all doors with direct access to the pool and operable windows where the wall acts as a barrier, shall be equipped with an alarm, the code states.

After an inspection, permits are good for 180 days and must be inspected again for possible permit renewal.

However, this does not include homes that are located along channels, inlets or lakes unless a pool abuts that body of water.

Several homes on Airbnb listed in the Cherry Grove area, which includes 54th Avenue North, do have fencing around their pools.

Different municipalities also could have their own policies regarding pools or areas of water.

North Myrtle Beach follows the same policy as Horry County, city spokesman Donald Graham said by text.