In July of 2022, Dori Scott experienced the unthinkable after she signed up her 4-year-old son, Israel Scott, for swimming lessons that ultimately lead to his death.
Now nearly seven months later the swim instructor, Lexie Tenhuisen, has officially been charged with involuntary manslaughter and was eventually released on a $10,000 bond.
Mother Of Drowned Child Still Looking For Answers About Boy’s Death Despite Swimming Instructor’s Arrest
However, in this exclusive TSRI Updatez, Dori Scott opens up about what occurred before her son’s tragic passing that has their family pushing for more charges as they continue to look for answers in spite of Tenhuisen’s arrest
“Nothing will ever bring him back,” Scott told The Shade Room‘s Justin Carter of the “worst day of her life. We still don’t even know how he drowned.”
#TSRInvestigatesUpdatez: A Mother Is Still Fighting For Justice After The Drowning Of 4-Year-Old Son https://t.co/gmSDUW6xc3 pic.twitter.com/FsO0BCDLUP
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) February 1, 2023
She says it was day two of swimming lessons with her son Israel and ten other kids, under the instruction of 66-year-old of Tenhuisen.
Tenhuisen was well known in the Augusta area as a swimming instructor who offers affordable prices for lessons.
One day one, Scott said the instruction told parents they wouldn’t be allowed to watch their children swim. That was the first red flag, she says.
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However, Scott says she followed the rules and waited in her car until class was over, and asked Tenhuisen how was her son’s first day.
The Shade Room went through the responding officer’s report and found Tenhuisen maintained a rule amongst parents at swimming practice.
The rule stems from the fact that, according to the report, children at Izzy’s age would be too distracted if their mother or father were present as well.
Tenhuisen went on to say that day two was supposed to get the kid’s comfortable with their heads underwater.
All of this took place in the pool’s shallow end, roughly three feet deep.
One of Tenhuisen’s exercises involved sinking toys to the bottom of the pool and seeing how many each kid could retrieve.
The instructor ended the session and was drying off when her granddaughter noticed Israel Scott was in the pool’s deep end.
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“There’s a kid in the pool!” a witness reportedly yelled.
Tenhuisen then dove into the pool, pulled the child out, and then got to the side. She claims the child had only been underwater for about 15 seconds.
But when she pulled Izzy out of the water, he was limp before yelling for help to get other moms’ attention.
One of the mothers happened to be a nurse and performed CPR until paramedics arrived on scene. That mother told police that the boy still had color, but there was foam coming out of his mouth and nose.
“I was running around asking everybody to help, and when I asked her (Tenhuisen)” she more or less shrugged it off saying “she didn’t know,” Izzy’s mother said.
He was pronounced dead the next day.
Family Fighting To Pass Legislation That Would Protect Children From Drowning, Instructor Charged
For seven months, his family has been fighting to pass legislation that would protect children from drowning during swim lessons.
Then in Dec. 2022, they were told an arrest warrant had been issued for Tenhuisen for involuntary manslaughter.
“Izzy is not a case or a file on a desk, nor an article in the news. He is a child whose loss has broken the heart of our community,” stated District Attorney Jared Williams.
Swimming Instructor out on $10K Bond As Scott Family Intends On Filing Wrongful Death Civil Suit
Izzy’s mother told TSR Investigates that she didn’t want to put anybody in jail for the rest of their lives. My thing is accountability.”
Tenhuisen was eventually released on $10,000 bond. She did not answer any attempts by The Shade Room for comment as of Thursday.
The Scott family said they also intended on filing a wrongful death civil suit against the swim instructor as they wait for her next upcoming court appearance.
The boy’s mother added she wants to create a foundation in Izzy’s name to educate parents and families, so that they never have to go through what she went through.
TSR Investigates explores cold cases and special interest news stories underrepresented in mainstream media.
