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A 15-month-old boy drowned in a fish pond at a daycare in Millville. (Don Woods | South Jersey Times)

MILLVILLE — Police are investigating the death of a toddler at a city daycare center Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

Officers were dispatched to Sunshine Day Care Center at 10:51 a.m. for reports of the drowning, said Lt. Jody Farabella.

Sunshine Day Care is run out of the Shar Lane Boulevard home of Roxanne Lacy, 58, of Millville.

According to Farabella, Lacy was watching a group of kids on the porch when she went inside to tend to another child. When she went back outside, the police lieutenant said, she saw that a child was missing.

The child was found in a small goldfish pond on the property, police said, measuring less than a foot deep.

Millville police officers attempted to resuscitate the child before the Millville Rescue Squad arrived at the scene, after which the child was taken to Inspira Medical Center Vineland.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital, Farabella said.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Millville Police Department, the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office and the state Department of Children and Families Child Protection and Permanency Division (formerly known as the Division of Youth and Family Services).

Any charges are pending a full investigation and at this time the incident appears accidental, Farabella said.

During the investigation, the agencies will determine if the daycare was being run in an illegal manner. Until the investigation is complete, Farabella urges parents not to bring their kids to the daycare center.

The police department's chaplain service is offering assistance to family or law enforcement members after the incident. Anyone interested in taking advantage of the department's crisis counseling can contact Farabella at 856-825-7010 ex: 7316.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@southjerseymedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.