Columbus drowning victim identified as 5-year-old girl

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The victim in a midmorning drowning in Lowndes County has been identified.

Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said 5-year-old Annabelle Bush was found in a small pond not far from her home in the New Hope area.

The property owners discovered her.

Merchant said his office pronounced the child dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital shortly after the accident.

The investigation into the drowning is on-going. More information will be released later.