Sister, brother drown in southern NM

VADO, N.M. (AP) - A 5-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother who wandered away from a family gathering in Vado are dead after drowning in a pool of rain water that had collected over recent weeks in the southern New Mexico community.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department said family members noticed the children's absence and fanned out Saturday afternoon to begin searching the neighborhood. In about 20 minutes, Michelle and Brandon Marmolejo were found floating in the nearby pool of water.

Sheriff's investigator Bo Nevarez said a friend of the family tried to resuscitate the children while the family waited for medical rescue personnel to arrive. The children were pronounced dead after being taken to a Las Cruces hospital.

Foul play wasn't suspected, but Nevarez said the sheriff's department is investigating the incident.