Police have named a toddler who drowned in a hole near a rural Southland property yesterday.
He was Charlie Aaron Unwin (2).
The boy was at home with a family member when the tragedy struck, police say.
A relative discovered the child's body in a hole filled with water about 3.50pm at the property near Gore, said Senior Sergeant Richard McPhail.
He was taken to Dunedin Hospital but attempts to revive the youngster were unsuccessful.
"The child was at a residential home and has managed to get outside and ended up in a hole which had water in it, which is a really tragic situation," Mr McPhail said.
The hole was not a great distance from the house, where the child had been supervised by a relative.
"The child was at home with one of its family members so there were no issues with that."
Victim support had been working with grieving relatives.
The death had been referred to the coroner while the police investigation continued.
- Matthew Theunissen of APNZ
