49°
Pujan Chouhan is believed to have "walked away from his home on Wheatland Ave. unbeknownst to his family, and within a short amount of time had made his way onto a nearby residential property where the pool was located," East Hempfield Township Police investigators said.
He was found in a neighbor's backyard pool, in the 1720 block of Wheatland Avenue, at 12:08 p.m. on May 5, the police and the coroner detailed in their separate release.
He had already been pulled from the pool and "life-saving measures had been initiated on the child" when emergency personnel arrived to a call for "cardiac arrest involving a 3-year-old male child," the police explained.
EMS took over the life-saving measures, and the Pujan was taken to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to the police.
Following an autopsy, his cause of death was revealed to be "freshwater drowning" and the manner was ruled "accidental," the coroner's office said.
This deadly incident remains under investigation by East Hempfield Township Police.
The police department "extends our heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of the child who lost his life."
His funeral was held at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home in Lititz from 10 to noon on May 9, according to a Facebook post by the Bhutanese Community Development Lancaster.
The group wrote the following reading in part:
"We’re stunned and grieved to announce the untimely death of a little Pujan Chouhan today. He’s the second [child] of Tulashi Chouhan and Purnima Chetry who just not only lost their beloved son but also an energetic and promising individual who had abundant life in him and departed so early to shock the entire community."
Pujan’s uncle, Kul Chouhan, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help his family.
"Pujan was a happy, playful kids and enjoyed doing new things every day. He was friendly to all kids and left a good memory with people that met him. We have to accept the fate that he is no longer with us and we can never cherish a day with him again.”
Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Lower Paxton and receive free news updates.
