Child in near-drowning dies; mother sentenced

A 3-year-old boy who nearly drowned in 2009 died last week only 11 days after his mother was sentenced to five years' probation in connection with the incident.

According to the Clark County coroner's office, Moises James died March 25. The office has not determined a cause and manner of death, or whether the near-drowning contributed to his death.

On March 14, the child's mother, Luisa James-Recinos, 24, was sentenced to 12 to 34 months in the Nevada Department of Corrections on a felony charge of child abuse with substantial bodily harm, with the jail time suspended while she is on probation.

A district attorney's office representative reached Thursday said James-Recinos' case is completed, and the boy's death will not result in additional charges.

According to North Las Vegas police, the boy nearly died in a backyard pool at 1300 E. Brooks Ave., near Cheyenne Avenue and Civic Center Drive. Police spokeswoman Chrissie Coon said police were alerted to the incident at about 11 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2009. Coon said James' family was having a gathering and didn't notice he had fallen into the pool. When paramedics arrived, James was not breathing and his eyes were dilated.

Coon said police investigated the incident for several months, and arrested James-Recinos in 2010 on a felony child endangerment charge.

Coon said witnesses told police James-Recinos had a history of leaving her children unsupervised near the pool, and they said that is what happened that day.

Police also said the pool did not have a gate, and there were sharp and dangerous objects around the pool. The home's pool was not maintained to the point that bacteria turned the water a greenish-black color, making it difficult to see the boy after he fell in, Coon said.

According to District Court documents, James-Recinos had two prior cases with Child Protective Services for lack of supervision.

Today marks the kickoff of a countywide awareness campaign called "April Pools Day."

Firefighters from around the valley will distribute drowning prevention awareness materials to homes and apartment complexes with pools.

According to the county, most drowning victims are 4 or younger. The majority of drownings occur in family pools, with 70 percent occurring between 2 and 8 p.m.