A 19-month-old toddler pulled from a pond in Mission Bay Park has died, the Medical Examiner's office confirmed.
The young boy, identified as Farhan Salehi, was rescued from the bottom of a pond and hospitalized on March 12. The area is described as just south of the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, according to the Mission Bay Park website.
Lifeguards performed CPR on the toddler until medics arrived at Model Yacht Pond just after 6 p.m. that Sunday. He was taken to the hospital, where he died on March 15.
The ME's office said the cause of death was drowning. His death was ruled an accident.
The investigation into what happened is ongoing, San Diego Police Officer Billy Hernandez said.
A new 911 dispatch system may have caused confusion on that Sunday when a toddler needed rescue near Mission Bay Park, according to Sgt. Ed Harris, leader of the lifeguards union and former candidate for San Diego mayor.
Harris said a 911 call came in and firefighters were initially dispatched. One minute later, he said, another 911 call came and lifeguards were dispatched. Lifeguards arrived within two minutes, before firefighters according to Harris.
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San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fennessy has said in the past the new system was put in partly to combat the high volume of unanswered 911 calls.
Authorities have said they are not sure arriving two minutes earlier would have changed anything in this particular case.
