Local News

Boy's Drowning Death Ruled Accidental

The death of Joshua Bullock Jr. in a Durham swimming pool over the weekend has been ruled an accident.

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Joshua Bullock Jr.
DURHAM, N.C. — The death of Joshua Bullock Jr. in a Durham swimming pool over the weekend has been ruled an accident.

Joshua, who had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and was bipolar and slightly mentally disabled, slipped away from supervison Sunday afternoon and was found about five hours later.

Joshua had fallen into a swimming pool that was about half filled with murky water whose surface was covered in leaves.

Joshua and his father were visiting friends in Durham County when he disappeared.

“The dad mentioned that he took him inside the house for a moment and he went to put something down, and once he came back, he noticed that the sliding-glass patio door was open and ajar a little bit,” Det. L.E. Kelly, with the Durham County Sheriff's Office told WRAL.

Authorities closed the case Wednesday.

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