A 2-year-old boy who was taken to a hospital in critical condition after being found in a canal in Denair Monday night has died, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said. The family reported that the boy was missing at approximately 6 pm on Monday. Friends and family began searching for the boy in the surrounding area. George Griggs, who has lived in the community for 46 years, told KCRA that he was having dinner when his neighbors knocked on his door to inform them that his son was missing. “The first thing we know, they’re yelling ‘he’s over here.’ That’s when they pulled him out of the canal,” Griggs recalled. Officials said before officers arrived, the boy was found by family and friends in the water-filled canal near the 4300 block of Swanson Road in unincorporated Denair, about a half-mile away. of his residence. The 2-year-old boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition Monday night, the Stanislaus County sheriff said. Early Tuesday morning, officials confirmed with KCRA 3 that the child had died at the hospital. Sergeant Layton with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said they found water in the boy’s lungs. The sheriff’s department said the apparent cause of death was drowning. Toxicology results are still pending. Officials said evidence suggests this was a tragic accident. The canal is about 20 feet away from the young victim’s home and has no fences or barriers around it. “As we are a farming community, most canals are not fenced or there is very little fencing, so that will play a factor in the decision to look at things,” Sgt Layton added. See more coverage of California’s top stories here | Download our application.