7-year-old boy dies days after being pulled from hotel pool

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - A 7-year-old boy in Kansas has died days after being pulled from a hotel pool, according to his family.

Zaniriusz Chambers, Jr. was playing in the pool at the Red Roof PLUS+ in east Wichita on May 1 when he went under the water, his mother Lauren Hill-Wilson said.

The boy was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and placed on life . Sadly, Hill-Wilson said he died nearly a week after he was rescued.

Zaniriusz, who was also known as “ZJ,” was described as being a “loving boy” who loved “having quality time with his siblings and close relatives.”

Hill-Wilson said she was overcome with emotions upon first being called by a police officer who told her her son had nearly drowned in the pool.

“My heart just stopped, and he said, ‘I’m calling about your child that drowned,’” she said. “A drowning at a rooftop, and I was just confused because I was like, how did my child get there?”

Police said ZJ had been at the pool with adult relatives and other children.

When he was taken to the hospital, his mother said she had only one thing on her mind.

“Only thing I could do was, like, try to get to him,” Hill-Wilson said. “I just wanted to hear my baby say he was OK, and then seeing him hooked up to the machines, breathing and stuff.”

She said she tried to hold onto hope that her son would pull through, but the doctors were doubtful.

A GoFundMe was started up by the family to help pay for Zaniriusz’s recovery. The family said any donations made will now be used to cover his funeral costs.

Hill-Wilson said she has a lasting message for families with young children.

“Hold your kids tight, and fight for them, and watch the ones you trust,” she said. “Always hold your kids tight, tell ‘em you love ‘em, because you don’t know when you gonna ever tell ‘em that again.”

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