A 3-year-old boy who was found in an abandoned cistern after disappearing during a family barbecue in Peetz died late Sunday, authorities said Monday.
The cause of the boy’s death was not determined by the Logan County coroner, and his name was being withheld while his extended family members were notified.
About 7:10 p.m. Sunday, the boy was reported missing while at a barbecue with his mother and grandparents. The child’s father, a Sterling ex-firefighter, was out of town, said Logan County Sheriff Brett Powell.
The boy was playing with other children when he disappeared. When the children returned home without the boy, the family began looking for him and called for help, Powell said.
Family members, sheriff’s deputies, the Colorado State Patrol and firefighters looked for the child for more than an hour before they found him in the uncovered cistern, about 30 yards away from the family’s farm. The cistern, about 14-16 inches wide, had water inside. It was not immediately known if the boy drowned, Powell said.
Investigators were in the midst of interviewing family members Monday about how the boy disappeared.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
