Boy who drowned in Sylvania lake identified

8-year-old pronounced dead late Saturday

6/9/2014

Authorities say an 8-year-old boy who was pulled from the lake at Sylvania’s Olander Park on Saturday evening drowned, possibly in a deep-water area of the lake.

Steve Kahle, a Lucas County coroner's investigator, said Mustafa Ali was pronounced dead at 8:58 p.m. Saturday at ProMedica Toledo Hospital. Dr. Diane Scala-Barnett, a deputy coroner who did the autopsy on the boy, said the cause of death was drowning.

Dr, Barnett said the child was at the park, swimming in the lake with two brothers and several cousins when the incident occurred. Some of the kids were swimming in the no-swim area and were told to return to the proper swim area.

Parents reported last seeing the boy at 3:30 p.m., she said. They began to look for him at 4 p.m., then contacted the Lucas County Sheriff‘‍s Office.

At some point, witnesses reported seeing a child dressed like the victim coming out of the restroom, the deputy coroner said, and it was thought that he wasn‘‍t in the water. Later, the parents of the missing boy saw that child and realized it wasn’‍t their son that witnesses saw, which is when the dive teams got involved, she said.

READ MORE: Boy pulled from Sylvania lake dies

The boy was brought to shore by divers from multiple agencies about 8:25 p.m. Saturday, then rushed by Life Squad to the hospital. He was reported missing by his family about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

The drowning death is the fourth since 1981 for the park district.