Drowning Victims Identified, Investigation Continues

Moses Geely Sneh Jr., 26, of Plymouth and Mortres Kewta Dougba, 9, of Pennsylvania have been identified as the two who drowned in an outdoor swimming pool Aug. 15 in Plymouth.

Sneh lived at the Lancaster Village Apartment complex and knew Mortres through a mutual friend. Mortres and her older sister were visiting at the time.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office have identified that their death was an accident in a report released today.

The report does not provide any further information on the circumstances of their deaths and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the incident. There is no timeline for completion of the investigation.

Yesterday morning the Minnesota Department of Health, Environmental Health Services and Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department inspected the pool and deemed the pool safe. According to a press release from the CSM Corporation, which owns the complex, the agencies "found all safety regulations and life-saving equipment available and in working order."

In the later afternoon of Aug. 15, Mortres was swimming in the pool and went into the deep end and began to struggle. Sneh jumped into the water to save her. Mortres older sister, who was in the shallow part of the pool, yelled for help and CSM employees nearby rushed to the scene.

One person went into the water and pulled both victims out with the help of another and administered CPR until local emergency responders arrived and took over. The two were brought to North Memorial Hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead soon after they arrived. The two drowned in 9 feet of water.

The apartment complex's pool is closed until 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, out of respect for the loved ones of the deceased.