Grandfather arrested, charged with child abuse after grandson drowns in Memorial Park

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A grandfather is in the El Paso County jail facing child abuse charges after his grandson drowned and died at Memorial Park on Saturday afternoon.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, officers responded to Memorial Park for a reported drowning. A juvenile male was located unresponsive in the water and citizens in the area performed life-saving measures. The child was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officers then arrested 53-year-old Joseph Camacho and charged him with negligent child abuse leading to death and at-risk negligence leading to a death, both felonies.

Camacho’s wife confirmed with 13 Investigates that the child who died was their grandson. She said he was living with them and Camacho was watching him while she was out of town.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department said drowning is the number one cause of unintentional deaths for children.

“Water is a very dangerous thing for children that do not have skills such as swimming,” said Steve Wilch, a battalion chief with the Colorado Springs Fire Department. “They need constant adult supervision or caretaker supervision.”

This is the second drowning death at Prospect Lake in as many months, raising concerns about water safety. The fire department said a child can drown in only two inches of water and they say it can only take seconds.

“A child can actually drown in less time than it takes to change the laundry load or to take the dinner out of the oven,” Wilch said.

The Colorado Springs Police Department declined to talk about the active investigation into the child’s drowning.

This is Camacho’s first felony charge. He is being held in the El Paso County jail on a $25,000 bond.