Londonderry boy, 6, drowns in Derry pool

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March 30, 2009

By Jarret Bencks

DERRY — A young man who answered the door at 26 Brady Ave. Sunday said the family had no comment on the tragic death of a 6-year-old boy a day earlier.

Connor Edmunds of Londonderry died Saturday after falling through the frozen surface of an in-ground pool at the modest split-level home of his grandparents, Jane and Greg Wright.

Neighbors on the residential street off Route 28 were equally reticent. Above- and in-ground pools were visible at a number of homes on the street of single-family homes. Cars lined the driveway at 26 Brady Ave., the yard dotted with toys and other items.

One person, who declined to be identified, described the Wrights as a nice family who always had kids coming in and out of the house. She said shortly after the accident, she and other neighbors went to the house to try to help the family.

"We did everything we could to help," she said. "It was not pretty."

Firefighters responding to a 911 call from the address at 3:30 p.m. Saturday were devastated by what they found.

"It takes the wind right out of you," Derry fire Battalion Chief Michael Gagnon said yesterday. "It makes you sick to your stomach. Everybody here is affected by it."

The 911 caller, a resident of 26 Brady Ave., said a 6-year-old child was missing from the home. There was concern he might have fallen into a swimming pool in the home's back yard, according to police.

Upon arrival, members of the Derry Fire Department discovered the in-ground swimming pool behind the house had a covering of ice and one area appeared to have been recently disturbed.

Fire personnel searched the pool and found the child submerged in the water beneath the ice.

The boy was transported by ambulance to Parkland Medical Center in Derry, where he later died.

Connor, the son of Matthew Edmunds and Carin Rowe, was a kindergartner at Moosehill School in Londonderry who was "full of energy and love," according to an online obituary from Peabody Funeral Homes. The boy loved to ride his scooter, play his X-Box game system, and watch Disney Pixar movies, the obituary said. He also leaves a sister, Linda, and numerous relatives.

The funeral service has not yet been scheduled.

Grief counseling was made available to Fire Department staff after the tragedy occurred. Nine firefighters initially responded to the address.

Police said the accident was still under investigation and more details would be made available Monday.