In July 2022, Dori Scott encountered the unexpected after enrolling her 4-year-old son, Israel Scotton swimming lessons that eventually lead to his death.
Now almost seven months later the swimming instructor, Lexie TenhuisenHe is charged with first degree murder and was eventually released on a $10,000 bond.
Mother of Drowning Child Still Seeking Answers in Boy’s Death Even as Swim Coach Arrested
However, in this alone Changes in the value of TSRIDori Scott describes what happened before her son’s tragic death as her family pushes through more lawsuits as they continue to search for answers despite Tenhuisen’s arrest.
“Nothing is going to bring him back,” Scott said The Shade RoomJustin Carter’s “worst day of his life. We still don’t know how he drowned.”
#TSRInvestigatesUpdatez: Woman Still Fighting for Justice After 4-Year-Old Drowns https://t.co/gmSDUW6xc3 pic.twitter.com/FsO0BCDLUP
– TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) February 1, 2023
He says it was the second day of swimming lessons with his son Israel and ten other children, under the guidance of 66-year-old Tenhuisen.
Tenhuisen was well known in the Augusta area as a swimming instructor who offered affordable tuition.
On one occasion, Scott said the guidelines told parents they were not allowed to watch their children swim. That was the first red flag, he says.
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Still, Scott says he followed the rules and waited in his car until after class, asking Tenhuisen how his son’s first day was.
The Shade Room went through the report of the responding officer and found Tenhuisen kept the law between the parents in the swimming game.
The law is based on the fact that, according to the report, children of Izzy’s age can be very confused if their mother or father is present.
Tenhuisen went on to say that the second day was supposed to entertain the child with their heads under water.
All this was done at the far end of the pool, about three meters deep.
One of Tenhuisen’s exercises was to dip toys into the bottom of the pool and see how many each child could retrieve.
The coach finished the session and was drying off when his grandson noticed that Israel Scott was at the end of the pool.
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“There’s a baby in the pool!” says the witness.
Tenhuisen then dove into the pond, pulled the child out, and then got to the side. It is said that the child was under the water for only 15 seconds.
But when he pulled Izzy out of the water, he limped before speaking to help the other women listen.
One of the women was a nurse and performed CPR until the mother-in-law arrived at the scene. The woman told police that the boy was still pale, but had foam coming out of his mouth and nose.
“I was running around asking everyone to help me, and when I asked him (Tenhuisen)” he refused saying “he didn’t know,” said Izzy’s mother.
The next day he was told that he had died.
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For seven months, her family has been fighting to pass laws that would protect children from drowning in swimming lessons.
Then in December 2022, he was told that Mr Tenhuisen would be arrested for manslaughter.
“Izzy is not a story or a file on a desk, or a story in a story. She is a child whose death has broken the hearts of our community,” said District Attorney Jared Williams.
Swim Instructor Released on $10K Bond as Scott’s Family Seeks to File Wrongful Death Suit
Izzy’s mother told TSR Investigates that she doesn’t want to put anyone in prison for life. My thing is to answer.”
Tenhuisen was eventually released on a $10,000 bond. He did not respond to any attempts The Shade Room for comment as of Thursday.
Scott’s family said they would also like to press charges in the swimming coach’s murder pending his appearance in court.
The boy’s mother added that she wants to create a foundation in Izzy’s name to educate parents and families, so they don’t have to go through what she went through.
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