MILLERTON — A 2-year-old boy died Saturday evening after falling into an unsecured septic tank at a church in Millerton.
The toddler, Olly Rea, was playing in the yard at Faith Bible Chapel on Silver Mountain Road at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday when he wandered away from his parents and fell into a septic tank with an unsecured cover, his parents, Johnathan and Darryl Rea, said.
The family had been attending a wedding at the church, which started around noon. Partygoers were cleaning up leftover food and packing up yard furniture following the reception when Olly disappeared, his parents said.
"We were sitting right there in the backyard and our little Olly was just walking around right next to us," Darryl said. "Then all of a sudden he was gone and we couldn't find him."
Johnathan immediately began searching the area and enlisted help from the other guests when he couldn't find his son. Darryl said the group began assisting in the search, driving up and down Silver Mountain Road and scouring through neighboring fields adjacent to the churchyard and across the road.
After several minutes of searching, assistant pastor John Wolfe reportedly decided to check the septic tank cover near the church after one of the guests informed him of a strange noise coming from the area.
“I mow around it, I walk across it — we never gave the septic tank a second thought," Wolfe told the Millerton News. "I didn’t even know the lid could move. And then I lifted it up and thought, ‘that was entirely too easy.’”
Wolfe then discovered Olly inside the tank and lifted the child out by his leg. After Olly was pulled from the tank, medical personnel arrived at the scene and began life-saving measures, Johnathan and Darryl said.
"There was a doctor, there were medical students and retired nurses," Darryl said. "Nobody could do anything."
Dutchess County Sheriff's Capt. John Watterson said in an email Monday, July 27, that Olly was reportedly in the septic tank for about 10 minutes before he was discovered. Medical personnel attempted to save his life both at the scene and at Sharon Hospital in neighboring Connecticut, but the attempts were unsuccessful and the boy was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.
The official cause of death has yet to be determined. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is ongoing, Watterson said.
Johnathan and Darryl said they have been attending services and social functions at Faith Bible Chapel for nearly four years. They described the congregation as their second family, a tightknit community that looked out for one another and socialized together often.
Olly had been a regular fixture at Faith Bible Chapel since he was three days old, his parents said. Olly's bubbly and happy personality was a hit with the congregants.
“This wasn’t a new place for him,” said Wolfe’s daughter, Bethany Wolfe. “He grew up here.”
They said about 50 people, including other children, were in attendance at the time of Olly's disappearance, and there was no indication of any potential danger in the yard. The septic tank was located about 10 feet away from where most of the party had been taking place, Johnathan said.
"Not since day one did we ever fear anything there," Darryl said.
The Reas described their son's death as avoidable and questioned why the lid to the septic tank was unsecured. Wolfe said the tank was most recently pumped in March, and the church did not receive any notice from the septic company regarding the lid’s security.
Witnesses on scene secured the septic tank cover with screws after Olly was retrieved at the direction of first responders, his parents said.
Johnathan and Darryl said the church community has come together to support each other since the tragedy. The following Sunday morning, the Reas and other congregants gathered at the church for a prayer service for Olly and to celebrate the family's oldest son's seventh birthday in an attempt to find hope and peace despite the loss.
"We wanted things to be kind of normal for him as much as possible because you don't want a tragedy to overshadow your son's birthday," Darryl said. "It was a lot of emotions but they tried their best to give him a good birthday along with us."
Olly's parents said they hope their son's death can lead to a positive outcome. They called for greater attention and regulation of septic tanks, expressing frustration that such a hazard could exist in a public place that often hosts families and children.
"It's just absolutely devastating and it's horrific," Darryl said. "You don't want this to happen to anybody, let alone yourself."
