A child was the victim of a drowning incident Saturday in Fulton County. According Fulton County Sheriff Al Roork, nine-year-old Heath LeBegue died after being sucked into a tunnel by the swift water in English Creek.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call just after 4:30 Saturday afternoon from a resident on English Creek Road south of Mammoth Spring saying a female came to her house screaming for help, but she didn’t know what was wrong with the woman. When deputies arrived, a man informed them of a child being sucked into a tunnel under the English Creek Bridge. In his attempt to retrieve the child, Chief Deputy John Cawvey had to be tied to a rope to keep from going into the tunnel. The deputy was able to run his arm into the tunnel, get a hold of the LeBegue’s shirt and pull him from the tunnel.
LeBegue had no pulse, and CPR was started. Oregon County paramedics and deputies arrived on the scene and were able to get a pulse established. LeBegue was transported by the Oregon County Ambulance to the Fulton County Hospital in Salem where he was later pronounced dead.
LeBegue’s mother, 34-year-old Maranda Owens of Hardy, told authorities she brought her son with three of her friends for an outing at English Creek. Owens said he dropped his fishing pole and went to retrieve it when he pulled into the tunnel by the water. LeBegue was under water for nearly a half hour.
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