7-Year-Old Girl Drowns in Backyard Pool in Gladstone Park

A 7-year-old girl has died after nearly drowning in a backyard pool in Chicago's Gladstone Park neighborhood earlier this week, according to Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Officers were called to the 5400 block of North Menard Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday for a wellbeing check. A witness at the home found the girl unresponsive in the pool and pulled her out before police arrived, according to Chicago police. She was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in serious condition.

The girl, identified by the medical examiner's office as Leen Awad, was pronounced dead on Thursday. Her death has been classified as an accidental drowning. Police have not released further details about what led up to the incident, including whether adults were supervising her at the time or how long she may have been in the water before she was found.

Gladstone Park sits on Chicago's Northwest Side, bordering Jefferson Park, and is made up largely of single-family homes with backyards, some of which have private pools.

Chicago police have not said whether the pool where Leen was found is an in-ground or above-ground structure, nor have they said whether the home belongs to her family or another resident on the block. The department also has not indicated whether any citations or code violations are being considered in connection with the pool itself.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists drowning as one of the leading causes of accidental death for children in the United States. CDC data shows children ages 1 to 4 face the highest drowning risk, but school-age children like Leen also die in pools every year, often in residential settings rather than public pools or open water. Illinois does not require homeowners statewide to fence in private pools, though some municipalities, including parts of Chicago, have local ordinances governing residential pool barriers and gate self-closing mechanisms.

Neighbors in the 5400 block of North Menard Avenue have not publicly commented on the death. Chicago police said no additional information was immediately available Saturday, and it is not clear whether the medical examiner's office will release further findings from its investigation.

No charges have been filed, and police continue to describe the death as accidental rather than the result of any criminal act.

Family members have not released a statement, and funeral arrangements had not been made public as of Saturday evening. The medical examiner's office typically closes out drowning cases once toxicology and full autopsy results are finalized, a process that can take several weeks.

Chicago police say the investigation into the exact circumstances of Leen's drowning is ongoing.