A 9-year-old girl from Highland Park drowned at a hotel near Chicago over the weekend. Police tell 7 Action News this appears to be a tragic accident, but they are investigating.
Adriana Douglas was in the 3rd grade at Vernor Elementary in Detroit. Latise Douglas says her daughter was a little girl who loved her family, did well in school, and loved cheer leading.
She lost her life while on a cheerleading trip over the weekend. She was taking part in a Police Athletic League competition. She was swimming in a pool at the Doubletree Hilton near Chicago in the Village of Alsip.
“My son said she was having fun, swimming, going up and down, and having fun,” said Latice Douglas.
The next moment the people with her realized she was underwater and not coming up.
“You never know that your baby is not going to come home. She was so beautiful... and that is all I can thing about is my beautiful baby is not coming home and it is so hard,” said Douglas.
Her dad and her 11-year-old brother were with her, along with the families of other cheerleaders.
"She cheered for the West Side Cubs and her brother played football. So it was something they could do together because they were inseparable,” said Douglas.
"She was happy about being a cheerleader. She worked really hard to learn all her maneuvers right before she left.”
Adriana knew how to swim, so her mom is struggling to understand how it happened.
“I just want people to hold their babies, because they can be taken in the blink of an eye,” said Douglas.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family pay for funeral expenses for Adriana. You can donate here.
