Justin and Ashley McMann traveled from Maine to South Carolina in April 2026 for a fun family beach vacation. They booked their stay at the North Beach Plantation in Myrtle Beach. The resort features multiple pools, a lazy river, and a hot tub perfect for families. The McManns looked forward to making sweet memories with their children: Parker, 8, Hudson, 7, and Lauchlin, 4. But on April 21, the vacation took a tragic turn when Lauchlin drowned in one of the pools. A hotel employee pulled him from the water, but he was unresponsive. He died six days later.
Emergency responders arrived and did their best to help Lauchlin.
According to a police report obtained by WBTW, police arrived on the scene at 48th Avenue South first. Lauchlin was already receiving CPR, and EMS came a short time later. They took the child to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. Police began investigating and reviewing surveillance footage.
Surveillance video reportedly captured the drowning.
Police reportedly looked over surveillance footage from the pool area and saw Lauchlin playing with a group of children. Per police, he began “flailing and sunk under the water,” WBTW reported. Officers said the child remained underwater for nearly four minutes before a hotel employee pulled him out. He was in the hospital for six days before he died on April 27.
Lauchlin’s family surrounded him before his death.
Dawn Ann McMann, Lauchlin’s grandmother, created a GoFundMe account on behalf of her son and daughter-in-law. She explained that crews airlifted Lauchlin to a children’s hospital in South Carolina, where his parents and grandparents remained by his side until he died.
“Lauchlin was truly cherished by everyone who knew him. His bright spirit and loving nature touched so many lives. Today, our hearts are shattered as we share that Lauchlin has earned his wings,” the grieving grandmother wrote on the fundraiser. “The pain of this loss is unimaginable, and our family is struggling to come to terms with it while supporting each other through the grief.”
Lauchlin was a little boy with a lot of love.
According to his obituary, Lauchlin was a kind and loving child who did his best to lift up those around him with daily affirmations and words of kindness.
“Lauchlin was the sweetest little boy, full of affection and light. He was always telling people how much he missed them, even if they had only stepped away for a moment, and he never missed an opportunity to share hugs and kisses,” his obituary reads. “He had a special way of lifting others up, offering daily affirmations and kind words that made everyone around him feel loved and important.”
Perhaps his family can find some comfort that Lauchlin helped to save other children via organ donation.
The little boy’s death remains under investigation. No matter what they find, four years just isn’t enough. Lauchlin deserved more.
