Pittsburgh boy, 4, drowns at Moraine State Park beach

MUDDY CREEK TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A 4-year-old boy from Pittsburgh drowned at Moraine State Park on Monday afternoon, the Butler County coroner’s office confirmed to Channel 11.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Department fo Conservation and Natural Resources identified the boy as Shalom Markel.

Park Manager Dustin Drew said Markel was with his family at the park’s beach on the South Shore.

The tragic news hit families at the state park pretty hard.

“I can’t imagine what the parents are going through. It’s horrific,” said Bobby Morrow of Portersville.

Morrow said he and his 9-year-old son swim at Moraine State Park beach nearly every weekend - the same spot where the little boy drowned hours earlier.

“My heart dropped,” he said. “Having a little one similar in age and being in this water, it’s gut-wrenching and it’s hard. I can’t even begin to fathom.”

The park manager said emergency crews got the call just before 2 p.m. Monday. Investigators said the boy went swimming when another park visitor found him unresponsive.

First responders gave the little boy CPR, but he did not survive. The coroner’s office said the boy wasn’t wearing any flotation devices at the time.

“All I can think about is the heartbreak. The heartbreak,” Morrow said.

It’s unclear if the boy’s family was in the water with him at the time and how many people were there. The park manager told Channel 11 the boy was swimming inside the roped area, but because there are no lifeguards there, everyone swims at their own risk.

“It does get crowded,” said Justin Kent of Ellwood City. “If you’re not keeping an eye on heads, it’d be easy to lose somebody because it’s elbow to elbow sometimes on hot days.”

Kent can understand the pain of losing a child. The father of five boys said he lost a son several years ago.

“It’s just sad, so heartbreaking,” he said. “Just be aware, because all it takes is 10 seconds for something bad to happen.”

The park manager said drownings at the park’s two beaches are very rare. He believes the last one they had there was about five years ago.

Markel’s death has been ruled accidental.

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