4-year-old dies after fall in icy Sugar Creek Twp. pond

SUGAR CREEK TWP.  A 4-year-old boy who fell into an icy pond Sunday at a Sugar Creek Township farm died two days later at Akron Children’s Hospital.

Jenson Hodge and his 6-year-old brother, Landon, were playing on a sunny morning at their family’s farm in the 1300 block of S Eckard Road.

Cousin Jae Weaver was in the house and noticed they had fallen through the ice just before 11 a.m., according to a Wayne County Sheriff’s Office report. She immediately notified 911, ran outside and called for Todd Farriss, her uncle and the boys’ grandfather, who was working on the farm.

East Wayne Fire District responded along with mutual aid from Kidron and Mt. Eaton fire departments, according to EWFD Chief Kyle Nussbaum.

Farriss was able to get a hold of Landon but he fell through the ice himself, the report states. Emergency rescue crews pulled Farriss and Landon to safety on the pond’s shore. Jenson was submerged in the water and rescuers pulled him out from under the water. Rescuers performed CPR and they revived him.

Both boys were transferred to Akron Children’s Hospital and Farriss was taken to Aultman Orrville Hospital, according to the report. Farriss and the 6-year-old were expected Sunday to recover and the younger brother was considered in critical condition.

The 4-year-old died Tuesday in Akron Children’s Hospital, said Gary Guenther, chief investigator for the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Weaver had set up a GoFundMe account to help the family with medical expenses. Sadly, an update later stated the account will also assist with funeral costs.

Community members, family and friends have shown an outpouring of support with prayers and comments on social media pages, including the Gazette and News’ Facebook page. As of Thursday morning, the GoFundMe account’s original goal of $3,000 had almost doubled. The page at www.gofundme.com is listed under “Hodge Family.”