Warwick boy who drowned apparently followed teen brother into neighbor's pool

WARWICK − A 3-year-old boy who drowned in a Warwick neighbor's pool this summer had apparently followed his 13-year-old autistic brother out of the house and into the pool, unbeknownst to his father or the neighbor, police reports indicate.

The Aug. 28 drowning of David Holloway III happened after his older brother had been found on multiple occasions swimming in the neighbor's pool without permission, incidents that prompted the neighbors to complain to the boy's parents, the reports indicate.

The father of the boy who drowned, David Holloway, 32, was arrested and charged last week with two counts of child endangerment and five counts of cruelty to or neglect of a child, the Warwick police announced.

More: Police investigating death of 3-year-old in Warwick of apparent drowning - what we know

The boy's mother, Kaitlyn Nolan, 31, was charged with five counts of cruelty to or neglect of a child, the police said.

According to police reports, Holloway, Nolan and five children had been living in the house at 126 Gorham Ave. for several years but had recently split up. Nolan told the police that Holloway had kicked her out. She told the police she came by periodically to care for the children but hadn't been there in several days.

On the morning of Aug. 28, the first sign that something was wrong came when the house got "too quiet," David Holloway told Warwick Officer Rene G. Gauthier. Holloway told Gauthier he'd gone upstairs to check on the five children, saw them all, then used the bathroom and went downstairs to do the dishes, the reports say.

"After several minutes he felt that things were too quiet, because he can usually hear the boys jumping around and went upstairs to discover that" the boys were gone, Gauthier wrote. (Their sisters, ages 4, 7, and 10, were still in the house.)

Holloway went outside, began shouting for the boys and walked toward the house across the street at 121 Gorham Ave., because, Holloway explained, his oldest son "has been known to sneak over to that house and go in the pool," Gauthier wrote.

In the backyard, Holloway found the 3-year-old boy face down on the deck by the pool. (Video later reviewed by police showed his older brother had pulled him out after they'd both been playing in the pool.) Holloway picked up the child, brought him back to his house, started CPR and called 911, Gauthier noted.

Warwick fire and rescue treated the child and brought him to Hasbro Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:42 p.m.

Drowning in Warwick prompts investigation

The incident prompted an investigation by the Warwick police that included interviews with Holloway and Nolan, neighbors and a review of video from the house where the boy drowned.

One of the homeowners was inside the house when the boys were in the pool, but she didn't realize anyone was in the water. She told the police she was on the other side of the house folding laundry and couldn't hear anything outside because the air-conditioning was running.

She estimated that the 13-year-old boy had sneaked into their pool "20 or more" times. She thought the gate had been locked but said the boy would even scale their fence to get into the pool.

She and other neighbors told the police they would sometimes find the older boy inside their houses uninvited. He would also play on one neighbor's trampoline uninvited, according to police reports.

Holloway and Nolan told the police they put locks on doors, nailed windows shut and moved furniture to keep the teenager inside the house, but he often managed to get around those measures.

Police reports also described conditions inside the house where the children lived as "deplorable," with garbage and pet feces on the floor, urine, fleas and the smell of marijuana, according to the police.

In the basement was "a large marijuana growing operation" of about 40 plants, as well as bagged marijuana, Detective Ben Bratko found. "In contrast to the rest of the house the basement appeared relatively clean," he wrote.

The state Department of Children, Youth & Families told the police the children would not be allowed to stay in the house because of its condition.

Several animals, including two dogs, were removed. One of the dogs, described as "a 13-year-old female hound mix named Molly," was emaciated and had an apparently serious ear infection. She had to be euthanized, the police said.

Holloway was also charged with one count of unnecessary cruelty to animals resulting in death, and one count of unnecessary cruelty to animals.

Holloway was arraigned in District Court on Friday and bail was set at $50,000 personal recognizance along with special conditions recommended by DCYF.

Nolan was presented before a bail commissioner Thursday and was released on $5,000 with surety.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Parents David Holloway and Kaitlyn Nolan charged in drowning death