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April 19, 2026

Girl, 3, drowns in septic tank at Cape May County campground

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Chief William Priole of the Lower Township Police Department announce the ongoing death investigation of a 3-year-old girl in the Erma section of Lower Township.

The Lower Township Police Department received a 911 call for medical assistance at 9:27 p.m. Saturday, April 3, and responded to Sun Outdoors Campground in the 600 block of Route 9 in Erma. 

Upon arrival, officers found the unresponsive girl, who had been pulled out of a sewage septic tank after accidently falling in. She was immediately transported to the Cape Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead later that evening. 

Detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lower Township Police Department responded to the scene and immediately initiated an investigation.

On the morning of April 4, the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on reported the cause and manner of death are pending the final autopsy report.

The preliminary investigation had not revealed any signs of foul play at the time of this news release. Sutherland said the incident is still under investigation but appears to be an accident at this time.

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