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Boy Possibly Electrocuted While Swimming In Family Pool

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The pool where a little boy took his last swim is now empty, drained just days after the child's sudden death.

An avid swimmer, 7-year-old Calder Sloan was in the water Sunday afternoon when police say a jolt of electricity coursed through his small body.

They responded to a call Sunday afternoon at 13005 Arch Creek Terrace regarding a possible electrocution.

When officers arrived, they found Fabian Pesantes, 44, giving the child CPR.

"I was at my house watching TV when someone came and knocked on my door," Pesantes told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana. "I ran over... he was blue."

Pesantes said a teenage boy was on the phone with authorities and three other adults were at the home.

The boy's parents were not home at the time. The police report said a caretaker was present.

The child had just celebrated his birthday a week earlier.

Calder, according to witnesses, was racing his nanny's son in his family pool when something went wrong.

He suddenly lost consciousness.

People at the home told police the boy and another person were shocked while in the water.

"From what we've learned, he seems to have been electrocuted by some kind of contact with that pool light," Calder's father, Chris Sloan, said in an interview with our partners at the Miami Herald. "Our own electricians have come out and noticed that the grounding cable wasn't even installed. It was loose."

Pesantes said he was zapped, too.

"As I'm performing the CPR, I'm getting vomit on my face on my mouth. So I stick my hand in the pool to wipe myself off and I'm getting shocked," Pesantes explained.

Pesantes said the pool light was rusted, but investigators haven't said exactly what caused the possible shock.

The boy's father shared the tragic news on Facebook.

"For those of you who knew him, you know you will never forget what a generous, spirited, bigger than life person (Calder) was," Chris Sloan wrote. "We were told a number of times by his teachers he would change the world. He changed ours during his much too short time with us."

The boy was eventually taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Pesantes said he wished he could have done more to try to save the boy.

He said he plans to get re-certified in CPR.

"I banged on his heart, massaged his back. I did everything I knew I could do with what I had, which was just myself. I knew he was gone though. I knew he was gone," Pesantes said. "I wish I could have done something. I wish I could have saved him."

Chris Sloan said work was done to the pool light a few months back, but he told the Herald it now appears the work was not done properly.

Electrician Brian Marshall with B & I Electrical Contractors, who did not work on the Sloan family pool, said if you're concerned about corrosion or issues with your pool light, it's best to call a licensed professional.

"We can take a very simple meter and meter the ground and we would know immediately if it doesn't have the right amount, if it's too much resistance, or if it's open," Marhsall said.

The Sloans are considering selling their Keystone Point home.

The waterfront property is now a painful reminder of the family's loss.

"Anything you've accumulated means nothing when you lose a child especially one who was such a gift to this world," Sloan said.

In lieu of flowers, the boy's family is asking donations be made to:

Lehrman Community Day School
Memo: Calder J Sloan Legacy Fund
727 77th St
Miami Beach, Fl 33141
Attn: Jodi Bruce, Head of School

The memorial service is planned for Friday, April 18th at 11:30 a.m. at Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach.

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