WHITELAND, INDIANA: A teenage girl was discovered dead after being dragged from the pool at Whiteland Community High School on May 16, 2023. Alaina Dildine, a 15-year-old student, had been underwater for 52 minutes before being discovered by another student. Her cause of death was determined to be drowning as a result of a seizure. The drowning was an accident, according to autopsy findings, and she had a history of epilepsy, a seizure illness, Indy Star reports.
The investigation's findings, including a chronology of events, were made public by the Johnson County Sheriff on Monday, July 10, who ruled that no criminal statutes were broken by school personnel, stating that it is not the office's responsibility to assess whether school officials were negligent. According to a news release from the prosecutor, that is a duty of the civil justice system.
Who was Alaina Dildine?
Alaina Dildine died after being pulled out from the high school's pool on May 16. According to the school, that incident occurred at approximately 11.45 am during a physical education class. The 15-year-old "went under a bulkhead" that separates the pool while swimming laps with other children, according to school administrators who spoke during a news conference on May 17. A lifeguard and an instructor, according to the school, were there on the pool deck when Dildine allegedly drowned. Her cause of death was ultimately determined by the Johnson County Coroner's Office to be both drowning and a seizure disease, with the manner of death being ruled as an accident, as per WTHR.
She was underwater for 52 minutes
Staff members were questioned, and video surveillance was examined, the sheriff's department said in a statement about the inquiry. According to the sheriff's office, the students entered the pool around 9:37 am. Dildine went underwater at 10.18 am below the bulkhead that divides the diving area from the swimming lanes. At 10:30 am, the session was over, and the teen girl was still under the bulkhead. The next class joined the pool at 11:01 am, and a student spotted Dildine underwater 52 minutes at 11:10 am. The teen was then dragged out by the instructional assistant, CPR began, and 911 was dialed. The lifesaving measures were stopped at 11.47 am and Dildine was declared dead.
'This accidental death is an unspeakable tragedy'
"It is not the function of this office to determine whether any negligence on behalf of school officials contributed to this tragedy," Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner stated. "Such a determination would need to be made in the civil justice system. This accidental death is an unspeakable tragedy, and this office expresses its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the student," he added.
Alaina's parents urge for new pool policies
Alaina's parents, Kyle and Victoria Dildine, praised the sheriff's office and prosecutor for "thoroughly investigating the circumstances" of their daughter's death in a statement released by the family's lawyer, Stephen Wagner. "We are still in shock at the loss of Alaina, and we are trying our best not to feel angry — but it is hard," they stated. "As we continue to mourn, we ask the school corporation to implement new swimming pool policies to keep all students safe so no other family has to experience such a profound loss." Wagner took a strong stand in his comments. The announcement, he claimed, does not clear the lifeguard and PE teacher who was supposed to be supervising the class. He went on to say that the police inquiry "revealed a troubling series of oversights that directly led to Alaina's drowning." "School officials knew Alaina had a seizure disorder, and yet they took no special precautions to protect her in the pool. Surveillance video shows Alaina swimming in a lane with three other students near the end of class when she went under the water while having an apparent seizure. The staff member who was supposed to be watching her lane was on the pool deck but not keeping a head count of the four students in Alaina’s lane," Wagner stated.
'Special angel'
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to assist the family with burial expenses. The page also confirmed the teen had epilepsy. Dildine, described as "special angel" on the page "loved her family, friends, her community, art, animals, band, and bringing awareness to epilepsy. She was a sweet girl with a heart of gold who would help anyone and now her family needs our help." the page added.