Ex-Swim Coach Faces Felony Charge in Teen's Drowning

A former school swim coach in Texas has been charged in the death of a 13-year-old girl who drowned during practice, prosecutors said. The AP reports Tracey Anne Boyd is scheduled to appear in court next week on a felony charge of abandoning or endangering a child by criminal negligence. Boyd, 49, was indicted June 29 in the death of Elise Cerami, who competed for a Carroll school district swim club near Fort Worth. A medical examiner has ruled the girl's death in June 2016 as an accidental drowning, but an indictment contends Boyd failed to watch Elise and ensure she was being properly supervised.

The North Texas Nadadores swim club had finished warming up at the school district's aquatic center in Southlake when teammates noticed Elise was underwater. She was pulled from the water and taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. It remains unclear why the teen sank. Boyd's defense attorney, Daniel Hagood, told WFAA-TV that Boyd is not guilty of the charge and she will answer the allegations in court. Following her daughter's death, Lori Cerami participated in public service announcements warning parents of how quickly a child can fall victim to drowning. She's also lobbied for more safety measures at the aquatic center. School district administrators have increased the number of lifeguards who staff the center. (More drowning stories.)