Long Island Toddler, Nanny Drown in Pool

Tragedy struck on Long Island yesterday when a toddler and her nanny drowned in  a swimming pool.

Police say the toddler, Naama Markovits, was in an in-ground backyard swimming pool in Lawrence, when the accident occurred early Wednesday afternoon.

A handyman alerted authorities to two people unconscious in the pool, but it wasn't clear how long the victims had been submerged by the time help came.

Police Lt. Kevin Smith says investigators suspect the adult caretaker -- 32-year-old Lorena Canales-Mejia, of Inwood -- was in the pool with the little girl and may have slipped into the deep end of the pool, dropping the child.

Smith says the toddler was pronounced dead by hospital staff. The caretaker was admitted in critical condition and died several hours later.

The deaths come just one day after a 12-year-old Manhattan girl drowned while on a school trip to Long Beach.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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