09 October 2023 , 00:20
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As his mother slept, 2-year-old Marcus Anthony Hall snuck out of the house with his 4-year-old brother, intent on having an adventure. Just a few hours later, he was found unresponsive at the bottom of the neighbour's pool.
Young Mar Mar, as he was affectionately called, died at the hospital shortly after. And now, his family mourns the "cool little dude" as they struggle to cope with the loss of their child.
The tragic mayhem began at 10:34am local time in Oregon, Ohio, when another neighbour called 911 after spotting the older brother "outside in just a diaper chasing a dog." There were no adults in sight, according to WTVG, which obtained transcripts of the fateful calls to emergency dispatch.
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The pool in which Mar Mar drowned in did not have a fence surrounding it, as law dictates it should (WTVG)An officer with the Oregon Police Department arrived on the scene minutes later and secured the child, cautioning his mother to be more careful and to consider installing safety devices so the child doesn't get out like that again.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
The officer left, believing the scene to be under control. But at 11:27am, less than an hour later, they were called back to the scene after the mother herself called 911 — her other, younger son was missing.
"I got woken up to the cops over here knocking on my door because they said that kids were running around outside, so when I woke up, only my 4-year-old here," the mother told dispatchers.
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Mar Mar poses for a photo with his dad, Anthony Hall, who must now bury his son (Anthony Marcus/Facebook)"So, your 2-year-old is missing?" the dispatcher calmly asked. "Yeah," was the mother's response. Officers were promptly sent back to the scene. But this time, the call ended in tragedy.
They found the little boy in the pool and jumped in to try and save him. They performed CPR at the scene and he was rushed to hospital, but despite their best efforts he passed away. Ohio's Children Services is investigating the situation, as is the City of Oregon, which has laws that state a pool must have a fence around it. A complaint was reportedly filed with the city, as there was no fence around the pool in which poor Mar Mar drowned.
Anthony said he'd remember Mar Mar by his smile (Anthony Marcus/Facebook)The mother had allegedly fallen asleep while watching her kids, who were home alone with her while her husband, Anthony Hall, was at work. The latter said he'd remember Mar Mar by his smile, calling his son a "cool little dude." Now, he must focus on burying his 2-year-old.
A GoFundMe was set up to help cover the costs of the funeral, with the goal being to raise $2,500 (£2,047). As of Sunday evening, October 8, just over $1,800 had been raised. The date of the funeral service was set for Tuesday, October 10, according to the page.