Special Needs Child Drowns in Pool at Brand-New Display Home

On Sunday, November 5th, 2025, a devastating incident occurred in the small town of Kialla, Victoria. An 8-year-old boy with special needs wandered off from his family's birthday party and tragically drowned in the pool of a nearby G.J. Gardner display home.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene around 7 pm, but their attempts to revive the boy were unsuccessful. It's understood the child had wandered off from his family's home, located just 300 meters away, and ended up in the backyard pool of the brand-new display home.

Shattered neighbors recalled the frantic search efforts to locate the missing boy, with one stating, "The family was looking around. They've obviously never thought that that's where he would be located. It's quite devastating. It's obviously shook us as a community as well."

The display home had only opened two months prior, and many in the new housing estate expressed concern that it was the only one with a swimming pool, making the tragedy all the more heartbreaking. Authorities are now investigating the incident and preparing a report for the coroner.