‘They robbed us of his life!’ Mom files lawsuit after little boy, 5, drowns at summer camp

The parents of a 5-year-old boy who died while at an Atlanta-area summer camp filed a lawsuit on Monday, seeking damages for their son’s death, which they say could have easily been prevented,

Benjamin ‘Kamau’ Hosch, III, attended the Camp Cricket summer camp at the Cochran Mill Nature Center in in Chattahoochee Hills, around 25 minutes north of the Atlanta airport. Several other children joined the camp as well, for what was supposed to be an exciting summer experience. Instead Kamau ended up drowning after he slid down a waterfall and into a pond with no life jacket on Friday.

Kamau couldn’t swim. He was submerged underwater for at least 20 minutes before someone found him. He was reportedly missing for around 45 minutes before anyone looked for him.

In a press conference on Monday, the little boy’s parents said they never received a form for parental consent to Kamau to a waterfall. They also said they would never let their son near water without wearing a lifejacket. They’re now demanding answers from Cochran Mill Nature Center.

“This is what they did to us. I have to live, that I gave them money to kill my son for the rest of my life,” Kamau’s mother said while bursting into tears.

So far, no criminal charges have been filed, but Chattahoochee Hills Police detectives plan to meet with the district attorney to discuss whether criminal charges are warranted.

Cochran Mill Nature Center released a statement shortly after the incident.

“The Board, Staff and Volunteers of the Cochran Mill Nature Center are heartbroken and distraught over this tragedy. On Friday, July 21, a group of 13 children attended day camp at Cochran Mill Nature Center. This small group of children, supervised by 4 adults, walked down a nearby trail for a lunch outing. Following lunch, the children were allowed to splash in a shallow adjacent creek. When the group gathered to leave the creek, the adults realized that one child was missing.

The child was found a short distance away in a pool of water in an area that had not been visited by the group. CPR was administered and the child was transported by EMS to the hospital.
Cochran Mill Nature Center has hosted summer camps and other outings for children of all ages for 23 years. The camp’s focus is on nature and the outdoors. Thousands of children have attended the camps over the years without incident except for minor scrapes, bumps and bruises. In 2016, over 15,000 children visited.

Cochran Mill is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help injured wild animals and provide educational tours and camps for children.”

Check back with Crime Online as additional details become available.

[Feature Photo: Family Handout]