Novi Drowning Victims Named By Police

(UPDATED) NOVI, MI — Novi Police Wednesday afternoon identified the victims of a tragic drowning in a pool in the Glens of Northville apartment complex. Nagavaju Surepalli, 31, and his son Ananth Surepalli, 3, drowned Tuesday at around 3 p.m., according to Novi Police Department news release. Both were from from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.

The father and son were playing poolside when the child inadvertently fell into the deep end of the pool while riding his tricycle, police said. The father entered the pool, which was five feet in depth, to rescue his son and became a victim himself as neither were experienced swimmers, according to Novi Police.

The pool doesn’t have a lifeguard and the father and son were the only occupants in the pool area, the news release stated. The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy Wednesday and ruled the incident an accidental drowning.

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Investigators and relatives of the victims have worked with the Consulate General of India, Chicago and New York offices, to assist with overseas family notification and funeral arrangements. The family had been in the United States for approximately three years on an H-1B non-immigrant Visa for work purposes, according to Novi Police.

Emergency responders were dispatched at approximately 4:24 p.m to the apartment complex. and performed CPR on both victims, but both were pronounced dead after being transported to Providence Park Hospital in Novi. Novi Police is continuing to investigate the drownings

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