ST. GEORGE —  A 2-year-old died after falling into a pond near a St. George apartment complex, prompting officials to stress the importance of water safety.

Deputies said Amar Guidry slipped out of a door and fell into a pond Tuesday night at the Waters at Bluebonnet. Emergency crews rushed the child to the hospital in critical condition, but the coroner reports the 2-year-old did not survive.

Ro-Montee Williams knows firsthand what the child's mother is going through. 20 years ago, she lost her daughter, Tiarah, in an accidental drowning.

"They told me she was gone on the phone, I ran through the hospital screaming and hollering," Williams said. "The same feeling as when it happened to me. It's like reliving it all over again."

That loss inspired her to start a nonprofit called Swimming for Tiara & Crowns Foundation. It offered free swim lessons to kids this summer with a goal of preventing other families from experiencing a similar loss.

"It was so important. Kids ages 3 months, all the way up to 12 years old. And hopefully next year, we can double that amount," Williams said.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, drowning remains one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths for children. 55 children drowned between 2022 and 2024, with more than half of those victims unsupervised.

Another 54 children were hospitalized due to non-fatal drownings, which health officials said can lead to lifelong disabilities. LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein called drownings preventable.

"It happens under our noses. We want to caution every family to be very careful with their kids around areas of water," Greenstein said.

Health officials said parents should teach children how to swim as soon as possible and actively watch children while they're in or near the water. Experts also suggest all parents and child-care providers learn basic water rescue skills and CPR.