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Police: Man, 3-Year-Old Son Drown In Novi Apartment Pool

NOVI (WWJ) - A man and his young son are dead after a tragic accident in Novi.

According to Novi, police the two drowned in the community pool at the Glens of Northville apartment complex, on Woodland Glen Dr., at 8 Mile Rd. and Meadowbrook, late Tuesday afternoon.

Police say an employee of the complex called 911 at about 4:25 p.m., saying there were two unconscious people in the outdoor pool. EMS arriving on the scene tried CPR but were not able to revive the victims, since identified as 31-year-old Nagavaju Surepalli and his 3-year-old son, Ananth.

Novi Police Chief David Malloy said the victims, who are residents of India, were out enjoying the day when the tragedy occurred.

"The dad had taken the child to the pool. They were not intending to swim, they were just going to sit by the pool, and that was evidenced by what we found at the scene," Malloy said, "and certainly what they were wearing. They were not dressed in swim attire."

Malloy said Ananth fell into the deep end of the pool while riding his tricycle. The father got into the five feet of water to rescue his son and drowned. There was no lifeguard on duty, and the pair were not experienced swimmers.

"He had a little box on the back of (the tricycle) that contained some toys," Malloy added. "Those toys were also found in the same area of the pool."

The two were pronounced dead at St. John Providence – Providence Park Hospital's Novi Campus. The Oakland County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death for both an accidental drowning.

Police said the victims, along with their 29-year-old wife and mother, were here in the U.S. for about three years on a work visa.

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