Sonora, CA – The drowning of a 3-year-old Modesto girl at the Fleming Meadows Lagoon at Lake Don Pedro is being treated as a homicide, according to Tuolumne County Sheriff David Vasquez.
The sheriff made that statement at Tuesday’s Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors meeting.
“That is an active investigation right now. We are treating it as a homicide. We don’t have all of the logistics and all this information from all the people who are around there. We’re still gathering that information, which is a common protocol for us to do whenever there’s a death involving a child,” Sheriff Vasquez added. “It really shook the pillars of this entire community. We saw a lot of narratives on social media. Folks are quick to judge, and emotions run high whenever we talk about things that seem to be preventable. Trust that your sheriff’s office will conduct a thorough investigation, and when the time is appropriate, we will release what is applicable to release to the public.”
We earlier reported here that the girl was initially reported missing on Saturday afternoon, July 18, 2026. When deputies arrived, they found witnesses performing CPR on the girl and took over. They were then relieved by medics. Unfortunately, the girl passed. Additionally, we shared here that sheriff officials were requesting any photos and videos that visitors may have taken before, during, and after the tragic incident. Specifically, they are looking for a photo of this raft that may show the child on it and any witnesses who may have seen the child before she was pulled out of the water. Sheriff Vasquez also addressed concerns about the rescue timeline.
The deputy sheriff, the firefighters, and the medics responded to that call and at one point had to hold a lifeless child in their arms after performing CPR. I’ve been there, done that, and I know what it’s like to be defeated. If there’s anybody out there that has a question about how we responded to that, I know there was some feedback on social media and also some calls about the timelines. I know that deputy sheriffs, whenever there is a call for help coming from the community, they’re unwavering in their response.”
