No charges in Island Lake toddler drowning case

Authorities say criminal charges won't be pursued against the father of a 2-year-old boy who wandered from his home and drowned in Island Lake late Sunday.

Island Lake Police Chief William McCorkle said Tuesday that a “thorough investigation” into the death of Mason Mack led to the decision not to seek charges.

“It's a very sad situation,” McCorkle said.

According to police, the father had fallen asleep for about 20 minutes late Sunday while Mason remained awake. After waking, the father searched the house in the 200 block of Fairfield Avenue and noticed the boy missing. Police do not believe the boy unlocked a door to get out.

The boy's dad called 911 at 10:49 p.m. to report his 2-year-old son was missing and only wearing a diaper. He later ran to the back of the home and found his son in a shallow area of the abutting lake. The father was holding the boy when he flagged down officers as they arrived.

Police performed CPR on Mason before Wauconda Fire Protection District paramedics arrived and brought him to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington. He then was taken by emergency helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was pronounced dead at 3:25 a.m. Sunday.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force investigators assisted Island Lake in the probe. Counselors have been made available to officers who handled the case, McCorkle said.