The 12-year-old boy found unresponsive earlier this week in the water at Island Lake Park dock died Wednesday, according to Marce Edwards, spokesperson for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.
After being found unresponsive in the water on Monday, Jeffrey L. Hentz was transported to Bremerton’s Harrison Medical Center and placed on a respirator. Within an hour he was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.
Hentz was visiting the park with his grandfather, Richard Boggess, on Monday afternoon when he decided to join others in the water near the fishing pier.
Hentz couldn’t swim.
A child called in to 911 at 3:07 p.m. to report a possible drowning when Hentz was found partially submerged in the water near the fishing dock, facedown in the weeds. Several bystanders assisted with CPR on Hentz after he was pulled out of the water. A registered nurse on site took part in assisting with rescue breathing as another did chest compressions.
Medics arrived at Island Lake Park at 3:13 p.m. and started treating the victim one minute later. KCSO officers arrived at 3:15 p.m.
Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Spokesman Scott Wilson said Hentz was pulled from the water and CPR performed by a bystander continued until Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue medics arrived. Medics reported the boy was in full cardiac arrest upon arrival, Wilson said.
A swimmer had overheard Boggess and Hentz talking about how the boy could not swim and needed to be aware of the water depth. According to the KCSO documents, Dori Leckner of Kitsap County Parks Department told authorities that the bottom “dramatically drops off below the fishing dock.”
In the past, the department had posted “No Swimming” signs at the dock, but the signs usually get damaged or go missing, a KCSO report states.
Edwards did not have additional information on time or manner of death.