5-year-old dies after being found in Hendricks County creek, 3-year-old sibling released from hospital

BROWNSBURG — The Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office says a 5-year-old boy died Saturday after being pulled from a creek.

First responders found Yoel Michael of Brownsburg in a creek near Hidden Hills Lane off of 56^th Street around 12:30 p.m. He was pulled from the moving water and was unresponsive, according to a news release from deputies.

He was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

“Yoel had a way of making everyone else feel seen and important, always asking how your day was. His smile and warmth will have a lasting impact on the BECC community," Katie Mitchell, the coordinator of the Brownsburg Early Childhood Center, said in a statement.

Deputies say a 3-year-old girl was found in the area who had also been in the water but appeared to have made it out of the water on her own.

The 3-year-old is Michael's sibling, according to the release. She was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has been released.

In an update Sunday, deputies say the preliminary investigation indicates that both children were playing outside when for an unknown reason they went near the creek and into the “relatively rapid moving” water.

An autopsy is currently being conducted and preliminary findings are consistent with drowning, according to the sheriff's office.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family involved in this tragic incident and our community as a whole," the release read.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Child Services are assisting local authorities with the investigation.