Family ‘devastated’ by Sidney baby’s tragic death during Florida vacation

UPDATE @ 10:15 p.m.

A Sidney family suffered “a tragic accident” that led to the death of an almost 1-year-old infant while on vacation in Niceville, Florida.

Family members spoke to News Center 7’s Monica Castro Friday about the circumstances surrounding the apparent drowning death on Thursday of Greyson Carr, who was just days from celebrating his first birthday.

“They went on vacation and the vacation turned into a nightmare,” said Anita Johnson, of Piqua, the boy’s grandmother. “Now my daughter has to go home with no baby in the car seat.”

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"I had a bunch of missed calls from my daughter and she told me Greyson was gone," Johnson said.

Johnson said a bathtub was used as a makeshift bed for Greyson, with pillows and blankets, but that while Greyson was in the tub another child possibly turned on the water faucet.

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"I'm upset because if I was there maybe I could have saved him," said Tami Carr, his paternal grandmother. "Maybe I could have stopped this from happening."

Both grandmothers told Castro that instead of celebrating a birthday, they will be laying Greyson to rest.

“He was such a happy baby,” Carr said. “He was just learning how to walk. He was crawling. I just never thought when they left last week they would be coming back without Greyson.”

Niceville Police Chief David Popwell described the death as a “tragic accident” and said it is under investigation.

An autopsy is being done in Florida, and we are working to learn more about the child’s death once information becomes available.

INITIAL REPORT:

Niceville police are investigating after an Ohio 1-year-old vacationing in the city died in what the city’s police chief described as a “tragic accident,” according to our CBS affiliate WKRG.

Officers responded to a home on Georgia Avenue in the city Thursday.

Niceville Police Chief David Popwell told WKRG the child’s family was in town on vacation from Ohio.

The circumstances of how the boy died were not immediately released.

An autopsy was scheduled for Friday.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida State Attorney’s Office are assisting in the investigation.