Detroit police: 11-year-old found dead in closed Midtown pool

Father identifies 11-year-old as David Fyfe; Detroit church pastor still doesn't know how kids accessed closed pool

DETROIT – Detroit police homicide detectives are investigating a drowning that happened Saturday afternoon in the pool of the Little Rock Family Center on Woodward in Midtown.

Police tell Local 4, two brothers, an 8-year-old and 11-year-old, got into the pool even though it was closed and no lifeguard was on duty.

The Little Rock Baptist Church operates the center for the city of Detroit. The senior pastor at the church said he has no idea how the children were able to get into the pool area.

"All the doors were locked. The police report says that it was locked," said Rev. Jim Holley, Sr. "We still don't know how they got in. We just don't know."

The 11-year-old was found dead in the deep end at about 2:45 p.m.

He is identified by his father Dennis Fyfe as David Fyfe, his youngest child.

"Maybe he did what he wanted to do. But it should have been secure," says Dennis Fyfe. "The building was unsecured. There's nobody watching. They weren't supposed to be swimming at all. There's no lifeguard. I don't know."

Family and friends who received the call rushed over to the center. They were kept out for some time and left to grieve on the front steps. A sign was posted, temporarily closed.

The father of the 11-year-old says his son was pulled from the water, wrapped in a blanket and placed on the side of the pool.

Homicide detectives arrived a couple of hours after the original call to try to figure out how this happened. It might be difficult.

"The answers they're giving me is they don't know," says Fyfe. "They can't explain it. The only thing they can do is ask the kids questions. What are kids doing answering questions only grown ups can answer? I'd like to know."

People inside the center were not commenting.