CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A 3-year-old girl has died in an accidental drowning after being found in medical distress in a body of water at Oak Grove Lake Park Friday morning, Chesapeake Police said.

Police said the investigation is continuing.

Photos from the scene showed a very active scene at the 157-acre Oak Grove Lake Park, located at 409 Byron Street, and when 10 On Your Side arrived at the park, a woman was watching the search for the girl.

“Everyone was rushing towards the water,” the woman said. “We were all looking back there, and I think it is very depressing. It was very sad.” 

Leo Kosinski, a public information officer for Chesapeake Police, told 10 On Your Side that the child’s mother reported her daughter missing around 10:10 a.m. Shortly afterwards, multiple agencies conducted a search for the missing girl.

“Around 10:20 a.m., Police got a 911 call from the mother who had a missing 3-year-old female daughter,” Kosinski said. “When the call came in, she said it had been about 10 minutes before she called.”

Around 11:20 a.m., the child was found in medical distress in a body of water near a playground, leading to lifesaving measures being given to the child. However, police announced that the child died from her injuries.

A Gofundme has been set up to help the family.

The playground is about 100 yards from the edge of the 65-acre lake, where the 3-year-old likely entered the water and would be found.

Kara Smarr from Suffolk, who was at the park with her daughter Chloe, was saddened by the news.

“That is extremely sad,” Smarr said. “I think people need to pay more attention to their children when playing at the park. There is no reason a little girl would wander off and end up in the lake.”

Greg Boone, with his dog, said he is a regular visitor to the park and said he was surprised no one saw anything.

“This is very odd to me [that], with all the activity out here, that somebody didn’t see something,” Boone said. “It takes more than 30 seconds for something like that to happen. Someone would have heard some kind of clatter. Someone at some point would have heard something and done something.”

Samara Beltran, while with her 2-year-old, saw her child get away from her.

“I am always trying to have him stay close and not let him go everywhere he wants,” Beltran said.

Sam Martin, who comes to the park three times per week and is a grandfather, said “you can’t take your eyes off those kids. When they get [to] 10 months old, they get moving pretty good. You can’t take your eyes off of them.”

Said Smarr: It takes a village. You see children running around, you need to pay attention and make sure our children are safe.”

The incident remains under investigation.