Unimaginable tragedy struck a family in Lake Hughes late Monday night, when a young brother and sister were found dead after what appears to be an accidental drowning.
The two children, 4 and 3 years old respectively, were playing outside together near their home in the Antelope Valley, on Lake Hughes Road.
The property is, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials, 12 acres.
"Detectives later learned the children were last seen playing in the yard of the location,'' a sheriff's department statement said. "When the mother went to call them into the residence, she noticed the children were missing and began searching for them."
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The mother then found the children in what is being described as a two to three feet deep duck pond, located about 30 feet from the home.
Deputies arrived responding to a missing persons report but then find the childrens' mother and at least one neighbor performing CPR.
The children were then rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital, where despite the efforts of their mother, neighbors, Sheriff's deputies and medical staff, neither child survived. The young boy was pronounced dead first around 9:00 p.m., followed by the young girl just before 11:00 p.m.
Officials say that there did not appear to be any trauma or foul play.
Homicide detectives from the sheriff's department say the deaths appear to be accidental, but the investigation into what happened is still underway. DCFS was also notified and will be conducting an investigation.
It is not yet known whether any charges will be filed in the case, LASD said.
