Car Rolls Off Boat Ramp On Whidbey; Girl, 5, Dies -- Brother, 3, Survives Plunge; Father's Role In Death Probed

COUPEVILLE, Island County - Sheriff's deputies today continued investigating the drowning of a 5-year-old girl and the near-drowning of her brother, 3, when their parents' car rolled down a boat-launch ramp on the west side of Whidbey Island.

The father, of Vancouver, B.C., was arrested and could face manslaughter charges, according to the Island County Sheriff's Office. He remained in the Island County Jail today.

Meanwhile, officials at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Seattle said today that the boy, who spent at least 30 minutes under water, has improved. He was listed in serious condition, upgraded from critical when he was admitted yesterday, a spokesman said.

"There's no indication now that this was intentional, but the investigation is continuing," Island County Sheriff's Lt. Chris Garden said.

Five-year-old Breanna Ashley Sharon Eagle died from saltwater drowning, said Coroner Robert Bishop.

Under Washington law, a manslaughter charge can be filed against someone who causes a death because of recklessness or negligence.

Sheriff's officers took a blood sample from the father and were awaiting state crime-lab tests to determine if alcohol or drugs played a role in the incident, Garden said. The car, a 1981 Datsun B-210, was held for state crime-lab tests to verify any mechanical defects.

The couple took the children to a public boat launch on Hastie Lake Road about 1 a.m. Thursday. Garden said the launch is a popular sightseeing spot, with a view across the strait to the lights of Port Angeles and Vancouver Island.

The couple parked the car facing the water. They told investigators that because the reverse gear was not working, they put the car in neutral and got out to push it up the ramp. But the car rolled down the steep ramp and slipped out 75 feet in 7 to 8 feet of water, said Fire Chief Marvin Koorn.

The mother called 911 from a nearby house. Firefighters arrived to find the father standing on the hood of the car, neck deep in the water.

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters dived into the rough water, probing in the dark for the children.

"It was really tough - one of the toughest things I've had to do," said Kurt Buchholz, a volunteer firefighter with Fire District 2. "Everything I tried to do didn't work."

The father was standing on top of the car, more or less in shock, Buchholz said.

Buchholz was unable to find the children at first, because there were so many items in the car, such as sleeping bags and camping gear. It was not until firefighters and deputies pulled the car closer to shore that they could reach the children.

"And finally I found a hand. We grabbed the hand and reached down and cradled the body trying to get it out," Buchholz said. Firefighters could not say whether the girl or boy was found first.

"They had a hard time finding the children; then I saw them (firefighters) run up the ramp with limp bodies in their arms," said Donald Looff, who lives about 70 feet from the boat ramp.

Garden said the family had been visiting the father's parents, who live near the boat launch on Whidbey Island, about 40 miles north of Seattle.

Last July, three children drowned in the Columbia River, near Chelan, when the van in which they were sleeping rolled into the water. The parents, of Omak, had left the children in the locked van while they used the restrooms at a state park. Investigators later found that the automatic transmission on the van hadn't locked properly.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.