Toddler’s body found at park off Chattahoochee River in Cobb County

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Firefighters said they found the body of a toddler Thursday while at Paces Mill Park shooting a public service announcement about water safety.

The firefighter said they saw the toddler floating downstream while they were training.

“A body or something like that. That’s the first thing that comes to your mind. You don’t think a child, a baby,” said Detrich Reid.

Reid and her family saw the crime scene along the Chattahoochee River at the Paces Mill boat ramp.

The park employees saw the action that surrounded the investigation area.

“We typically have firefighters and park rangers training all of the time, so I was thinking it was just a normal day of them training,” said park employee Chris Halliwell.

Cobb police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.

“I was told it was a body. The child was possibly in the river for maybe a couple of days. We’re not exactly sure,” said Shenise Barner of the Cobb County Police Department.

Police said they are looking at all possible scenarios.

Investigators were seen taking photos from a bridge above the river. Detectives on the ground canvassed the banks of the river.

Channel 2′s Chris Jose was at the scene when detectives found a pacifier in the parking lot. They quickly took it away and bagged it up as evidence.

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“We don’t know where the child possibly entered the river. The river spans several different counties, several different cities. So we’re not exactly sure and we’re going to treat it as a crime scene,” said Barner.

Police say they are not ruling out foul play.

Investigators are working to find out if the child drowned in the water or was possibly dumped there. They are still working to figure out who the parents may be.

“All these possibilities running through your mind, at the end of the day, you just don’t know until the whole story is explained,” said Halliwell.

The National Park Service is also assisting with the investigation.

A community in Cobb County is mourning the deaths of a student athlete and her dad. A Lassiter High School student-athlete and her dad were killed in a car crash on their way home from vacation. The community is mourning their death.

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