BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A child died in Boynton Beach on Monday in what police are calling an accidental drowning.
The Boynton Beach Police Department said officers responded to the 300 block of Boynton Bay Circle at about 5 p.m. in reference to a missing 8-year-old boy.
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Police said family members reported that the child, identified as Javonte Rahming, had left the residence a short time before they called police, and their efforts to locate him had been unsuccessful.
As officers searched the area, police said a Real Time Crime Center operator, using a department drone, located a motionless child in a swimming pool in the 1900 block of Northeast Second Lane.
Police said the property is adjacent to the Boynton Bay neighborhood; however, there is no connection between the two households.
Officers rushed to the residence, removed the boy from the pool and began life-saving measures.
The child was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police said the boy was subsequently identified as Javonte.
"During the investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the residence where the pool was located. The footage showed Javonte was alone when he entered the fenced backyard without the residents' knowledge and jumped into the pool at approximately 4:00 p.m.," police said in a statement.
Investigators said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident, and no foul play is suspected. However, the investigation remains active.
This latest drowning comes after a 2-year-old child drowned in Fort Pierce earlier this month, a 2-year-old drowned in a Greenacres canal in March and another 2-year-old drowned in Palm Beach Gardens in May.
Unintentional drownings in Florida
According to the Florida Department of Health, unintentional drowning is the second leading cause of preventable child death, representing about one in five child fatalities. The majority of those deadly drownings (more than 60%) occur among children ages 4 and younger.
Between 2023 and 2024 — the most recent years for which data is available — fatal drownings among children more than doubled across our five-county viewing area, while that figure remained relatively stable statewide. In our viewing area, the sharpest increase between 2023 and 2024 occurred in St. Lucie County.
A 2025 report on child fatalities says, "Ineffective physical barriers and inadequate supervision continue to be primary contributing factors to drowning incidents in young children. Inadequate supervision can include caregivers who are present but distracted and caregivers who are not within visible or audible range when a child is in or near water."
