Kinston toddler dies

Published 12:02 am Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Kinston toddler who fell into a family pool and drowned Friday has died.

Cooper Pierce, the 2-year-old son of Jessica and Cam Pierce, was found in a pool at a home on Coffee County Road 427. Pierce was air lifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., and placed in the children’s intensive care unit. Family and friends reported the child suffered irreparable brain injury. Area media reports indicate Pierce died shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday.

According to Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ronnie Whitworth, no foul play is suspected in what he described as a “tragic thing, accidental” incident.

Whitworth told a Dothan newspaper the family has donated the child’s organs to benefit others.

“Even now, he’s still a little hero,” Whitworth told the newspaper.