Battle Ground toddler drowns at Lewisville Park

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A Saturday evening at Lewisville Park turned tragic on May 14 as a 2-year-old girl from Battle Ground was swept down the East Fork Lewis River and drowned.

“She always had this genuine smile,” Becca Hoff, the great aunt of Georgia Jones, said about the toddler.

Jones was visiting the park with her father and the family dog that evening.

“In a split second” Jones’ father noticed she was missing and he immediately called both his wife and 911, Hoff said.

While Jones’ father continued to search, numerous first responders arrived on-scene, Hoff said. Jones was found about 100 to 150 yards downstream from a dock on the river, her clothes caught on a tree limb, her great aunt said. 

First responders immediately began CPR and rushed Jones to the hospital, Hoff said. After at least 90 minutes of trying to revive Jones, she was pronounced dead.

Hoff said Jones’ parents had gotten married at Lewisville Park a few years ago, and enjoyed going there on a regular basis. 



“She was like her mom. … She was a little spitfire. Very adventurous,” Hoff said about Jones.

Jones’ family has received an “overwhelming” amount of support in the wake of her death, Hoff said. As of Monday morning, a GoFundMe page for funeral, memorial and counseling expenses had raised just shy of $19,000.

Hoff said Jones’ family is grateful for both the support and the first responders.

“They really, truly did heroic efforts to try and save Georgie,” Hoff said, using one of Jones’ multitude of nicknames.

Hoff said Jones’ family wants to explore putting life jackets at the park, in order to prevent a similar situation in the future.

The GoFundMe page can be found online at https://gofund.me/cff0d629.