Apartment pool where girl drowned had recent code violations

GARLAND, Texas - An apartment complex pool in Garland where a 4-year-old girl drowned over the weekend had been in violation twice in recent years for water that was too murky.

The 4-year-old girl, Moriah Anthony, drowned on Sunday at the swimming pool at the Meadow Creek Apartments. Her family blames the water for them not being able to find her when she ended up in the pool.

Ebony Contreras held a picture of her 4-year-old daughter as she sat speechless next to the little girl's great-uncle, Javier Contreras, and their attorney, Daryl Washington. She and other members of her family were at their apartment pool when they say Moriah disappeared.

"We assumed or thought that maybe she just ran across or she was abducted,” Javier said. “We did not know."

Garland first responders got on scene. Instinct and experience told them she was probably in the pool, but the water was so murky that she couldn't be seen in the water. Police say several people dove in before a paramedic found her body at the bottom of the pool. Police say she was not wearing a flotation device.

"The pool was just not in the condition that you can see at the bottom,” Washington said.

According to the city health department, the pool's received four violations in the past three years. Two of those years were for not maintaining clear water.

Police photos taken Sunday evening show it was difficult to see the bottom of the pool at just five feet deep.

Records show the city did deem the pool compliant and ready to open for summer on May 18, but SKY4 flew over the pool as a city inspector returned on Monday.

The report states that the "pool is only visible to about two feet deep" and "the pool looked cloudy Sunday, but [the maintenance person] kept it open and didn't check the chemicals because there were too many people in the pool." The city requires chemical checks daily.

Resident Gabriella Cox knows it's a problem.

"The bottom of the pool is dirty,” she said. “And it's been like that since last year."

Now, a family is left to grieve a 4-year-old girl who will never have the opportunity to grow up.

"It's just sad,” Washington said. “It's sad that a situation like this would happen. A situation like this was preventable."

"We're doing the best that we can to ensure that this does not ever happen again,” Javier said.

No tickets were issued, and the police investigation is closed.

The owners of the pool will likely be cited for the latest violation. The apartment complex had no comment.