What did Darel Galorenzo do? Massachusetts father pleads not guilty in death of toddler who drowned in a stream

35-year-old Darel A. Galorenzo has been accused of drowning his 2-year-old toddler. He was also charged with manslaughter but pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. Darel is currently being held at a bail amount of $250,000. The tragic incident took place on Saturday in Massachusetts.

He allegedly got into a car crash while driving in an intoxicated state. Authorities discovered that it was a single-car crash, and upon arrival, they could not find a toddler who was expected to be in the car.

A team of troopers and firefighters later recovered the child and concluded that he had drowning injuries. The State Police confirmed that the toddler was rushed to the hospital, but was soon pronounced dead.

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Police believe Galorenzo "lost his grip on the child," who died of hypothermia

Law enforcement officers responded to a single-car crash on Saturday on Middle Road in Clarksburg, Massachusetts, shortly before 2 am local time. Police were aware that a toddler was in the car at the time of the crash. However, they were unable to locate the child, although they found Galorenzo, as per Fox News.

Investigators initially looked for the child inside Hudson Brook but were unable to find him. Authorities then recovered him at around 2:20 am from a waterbody close to 150 Middle Road.

When rescue teams found him, they tried administering life-saving measures on the child and rushed him to Berkshire Medical Center in North Adams. However, he could not be saved and was pronounced dead in the hospital. 35-year-old Galorenzo was also taken to Berkshire Medical Center to get checked for being under the influence. He was then transported to Cheshire State Police barracks and was taken into custody.

The 35-year-old told authorities that he took his son on a drive and the toddler ran into the stream. He faces several charges including manslaughter, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating under the influence, and reckless endangerment of a child. He has, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

According to a preliminary police report, a nearby resident spotted an adult man walking with a child from the crash site on Saturday. When authorities found Galorenzo, he was wet and was near the stream, which is around 3 feet deep in certain parts.

However, as mentioned, the child wasn’t with him. An autopsy report revealed that the toddler died of drowning and hypothermia. The police report stated that Galorenzo possibly "lost his grip on the child" while trying to wade through the stream.

The report mentioned:

“While attempting to wade through the swift current and frigid water, Galorenzo more than likely fell and lost his grip on the child.”

Police also found that Darel had sustained some minor injuries. His lawyer has reportedly requested that the bail amount be set at $5,000.