A tragic scene shocked the community of Rio Novo, in the municipality of Ituporanga, in the Alto Vale do Itajaí region, Santa Catarina, Brazil, after a 1-year-and-7-month-old girl was found dead in a pond on Monday, June 30, after being missing for several hours.

The girl was reported missing around 9:00 a.m. when family members noticed her missing while in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

According to the father’s statement, the little girl left the house through the front door without anyone noticing, heading toward a nearby area where the tragedy ultimately occurred.After alerting the Military Police, a search operation was launched in the rural area, characterized by dense vegetation and uneven terrain.

The Volunteer Fire Department mobilized 12 personnel, supported by trained dogs and two boats, who intensively searched the surrounding area.

At approximately 1:10 p.m., after three hours of searching, the girl’s body was found in a water reservoir located about 100 meters from the family home.

The exact circumstances surrounding the drowning have not yet been determined. According to the father’s preliminary account, the girl may have gone to an aunt’s house and, as she approached the pond, accidentally fell into the water while playing on the shore.

“She left without anyone seeing her. She went up to my sister’s house and that’s where she fell into the pond. She must have been playing near the edge and fell in ,” the visibly shaken father recounted.

The Civil Police are already in charge of the investigative process to clarify the events. No hypothesis has been ruled out at this time, while testimony is being collected and the conditions at the scene are being reviewed.

The death of the minor has caused great consternation among the residents of Rio Novo, who deeply mourn the loss.

Local authorities have called for increased safety measures in homes with close access to bodies of water, especially when small children are present.