Shocking footage captured a Las Vegas woman slowly drowning in a swimming pool as unsuspecting swimmers walked past her.
Leticia Gonzales Triplett, 58, died on the morning of February 4 in the pool at the North Decatur Las Vegas Athletic Club (LVAC).
The tragic incident occurred after Triplett struggled to swim for about 25 minutes. Surveillance footage shows her grabbing the edge of the pool and kicking her legs as she attempted to swim multiple laps.
After her head disappeared under the water while she was clinging to the side wall, Triplett pulled herself up to the pool steps, where she tried to stay above water by holding on to the railing.
Several people can be seen casually walking with her and entering the pool where Triplett was fighting for her life. They continued to do this even after the 58-year-old woman drowned and lay lifeless in the pool.
Disturbing footage captured the moment 58-year-old Las Vegas resident Leticia Triplett slowly drowned in a pool as unsuspecting swimmers walked past her
Triplett, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was remembered by her family as someone who “always remembered birthdays” and “loved to FaceTime with her children and grandchildren.”
An attorney for the LVAC gym said 8NewsNow that Triplett, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was using crutches before entering the pool.
It is unclear whether Triplett called for help or attention from the other swimmers during her fatal struggle. The swimmers seemed unaware that she was trying to keep her head above water.
The last moment before Triplett drowned happened when she was standing on the stairs and kicked herself off the banister and couldn’t get back up.
She lay motionless and face down in the pool for about 10 minutes. Several people looked at her body, but no one came to help her.
She was not pulled from the water until 20 minutes after entering the pool, when a swimmer in an adjacent pool saw her.
Footage shows Triplett entering the pool on the morning of February 4 and reportedly walking into the building on crutches
Triplett appeared to be having difficulty swimming up and down the pool, and was seen grabbing the side wall and kicking her legs as she attempted to swim laps.
As she struggled, Triplett moved herself to the pool steps, where she was seen struggling to keep her head above water while clinging to the railing
Triplett, who served a tour in Afghanistan in 2008, was said to have been “well-liked” by the military during her 24 years of service
The other swimmer dived into the water and pulled her to the edge, where several people helped her get out.
An LVAC worker performed CPR until emergency services arrived approximately five minutes later, but Triplett was pronounced dead shortly after.
Oganna Brown, an attorney for LVAC, said Triplett’s death was the result of “cardiac arrest” and claimed the gym had not seen such an incident in decades.
“There hasn’t been a single drowning in 46 years,” she said.
“This is an anomaly, and this was not an immediate drowning. This was a cardiac arrest.”
Triplett tragically drowned after kicking herself off the railing, and she lay lifeless in the pool for approximately 10 minutes as bystanders walked by
She was only pulled from the pool when a swimmer in an adjacent pool saw her and dove in to chase her.
However, according to 8NewNow, a subsequent investigation by the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) revealed that another near-drowning incident occurred at LVAC just days after Triplett’s death.
An attorney for the SNHD, Joel Henriod, argued that there was no lifeguard present at the time of Triplett’s death and that it should not have been up to the customers to notice the crisis.
“It’s not their job to search,” he said. “Unfortunately, you might as well be left alone.”
An obituary for Triplett noted that she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Las Cruces High School in New Mexico and that she “loved” the military during her 24 years of service.
In 2008, she served a tour in Afghanistan and “received many medals and ribbons for her distinguished service,” the obituary said.
Triplett had a son and five grandchildren. Her family wrote that she “always remembered birthdays and was the first to send a birthday card.”
“She enjoyed being home and watching her favorite TV shows. She also enjoyed FaceTime with her children and grandchildren,” the obituary said.
