Novi apartment pool.png

(Google)

NOVI, MI - Police have identified a man and his 3-year-old son who drowned Tuesday, May 30 in a pool accident in Novi.

Nagavaju Surepalli, 31, and his son, Ananth Surepalli, died after being pulled unconscious from the pool at at the Glens of Northville apartment complex, 20900 Woodland Glenn Drive off of Eight Mile Road.

They are survived by their 29-year-old Bindu, their wife and mother, respectively.

Sometime after 3 p.m., the father and son were playing by the pool at the apartment complex when the child fell into the deep end of the pool while riding a tricycle, according to Novi Police.

Surepalli went into the water to rescue Ananth and drowned, police said. The man was not an experienced swimmer and the pool does not have a lifeguard on duty.

The deep end of the pool is 5 feet, police said.

At 4:24 p.m., a couple headed to the pool saw two people floating in the water and notified apartment complex employees, who called 911 and started life-saving measures.

Surepalli and Ananth were pronounced dead at St. John Providence Hospital in Novi, according to police.

The Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office post-mortem exam Wednesday morning ruled the incident an accidental drowning.

The family, who is from from Guntur, a city in India, had been in the United States for approximately three years on a work visa.

Investigators and relatives are working with the Consulate General of India, Chicago and New York offices, to help with overseas family notification and funeral arrangements.

A GoFundMe has raised $64,686 for funeral expenses and to support Bindu.

Novi Police are still investigating and ask anyone with further information to contact the department at 248-348-7100.