Children's Safety Zone

Authorities have identified three men who were found dead after they disappeared while boating at a lake northeast of Phoenix.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says the men were camping with family and friends when they left to go boating on the Verde River at 1 a.m. Sunday.

They have been identified as 32-year-old Francisco Antonio Cruz, 25-year-old Jose Alberto Castaneda, and 21-year-old Jose Luis Castaneda. Authorities say all were from Phoenix.

Authorities say the none of the men were wearing life jackets and it’s believed their boat tipped over and they couldn’t survive in the cold, murky water.

“We were swimming arms length apart and you know the difference between a rock and a victim” said Deputy Jeff Hanson who was the first diver to find a body.

The river waters are cold and murky. Visibility for divers was only a few inches.

Family members notified authorities after realizing later Sunday morning that the men hadn’t returned.

Rescue crews from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office looked for the men throughout Sunday before halting the search at darkness. The search resumed Monday morning and included six rescue divers.

The men’s bodies were found Monday in Horseshoe Lake. Deputies say the men did not have flotation devices and were wearing heavy clothing which would end up weighing them down. The bodies were found together in about 10 feet of water.

A north Phoenix family is counting their blessings Sunday after their 2-year-old boy nearly drowned.

It happened in the backyard pool at the family’s home near Central Avenue and Thunderbird Road on Saturday.

PatriciaWright says she was cleaning up around the pool when she took her eyesoff her young son Aiden for only a moment, looked back and he wasgone. She found him face down in the pool.

“It was the worst moment of my life,” Wright said.

Shequickly scooped Aiden out of the water and started CPR even though shehas no formal training. “I just knew I had to breathe for him,” sheexplained.

Wright says Aiden was breathing by the timeparamedics arrived, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. His bodytemperature had dropped to 96 degrees and doctors induced a coma forthe boys protection.

Just 24 hours later the boy seems good as new.

“We have been blessed,” said Gregg Wright, the boy’s father. “I don’t know what we would do without him.”

The Wright family says they will get a pool fence or another protective barrier immediately.

Fire officials say a 19-month-old girl is in critical condition Tuesday afternoon after a drowning call in Gilbert.

TheGilbert Fire Department said it responded to a call of the child notbreathing around 1:15 p.m. at a home near Val Vista Drive and ElliotRoad.

The girl was in the swimming pool for about five minutesbefore the parents found her and pulled her out, according to fireofficials.

The girl has been transported to Cardon’s ChildrensMedical Center in critical condition, but was initially taken to BannerGateway Medical Center, fire officials said.

There are few details available at this time.

Check back for updates.

An infant remains in extremely critical condition after nearly drowning in a bathtub at an East Valley home Wednesday night.

MesaFire Department spokesman Forrest Smith said crews were called to theGold Canyon residence near Don Donnelly Trail and Superstition MountainDrive around 7:15 p.m. after the girl’s mother found her unresponsivein the tub.

Tim Gaffney, with Pinal County Sheriff’s Office,said the woman left the 11-month-old and her 3-year-old sister in thetub together while she went to the bedroom to get their pajamas. Whenshe returned, she reportedly found the infant floating face down in thewater.

A neighbor went to the family’s home after hearing screams and performed CPR on the 11-month-old until emergency crews arrived.

Smithsaid the girl wasn’t breathing and was without a pulse when medicalpersonnel got to the scene, but crews were able to regain a pulsebefore the infant was transported to Cardon Children’s Medical Center.

Gaffney said Thursday the young girl is still listed in extremely critical condition at the Mesa hospital.

The incident is reportedly being investigated as a tragic accident.

A 12-year-old boy was expected to recover after nearly drowning Wednesday night in the pool at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA in Goodyear, authorities said.

The boy was swimming in the lap pool with a friend about 8:30 p.m. when he lost consciousness, Goodyear fire spokesman Russ Braden said. His friend called for help and a bystander and on-duty lifeguard pulled the boy from the water.

He was unconscious but began spitting up water after the lifeguard performed CPR and other life-saving measures, Braden said. He was conscious and talking by the time firefighters arrived two minutes after receiving the call.

The boy was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital as a precaution, he said.

Braden said people should never hesitate to call 911 if something happens, even if the child seems OK.

“They will go from looking pretty good to looking bad within minutes, so that’s why with kids we always (advise) to take them in,” he said.

It was unclear why the boy lost consciousness, Braden said.

A statement released by the Ed Hendricks, executive vice president of Valley of the Sun YMCA, on Thursday said, “We are proud of our lifeguards and staff who responded to the emergency situation, administered care and supported the family. Safety is our number one priority.”