Cody James Green of Secretary walked across the top of a septic tank in a yard located at 3981 Ocean Gateway to retrieve a ball he was playing with, according to Dorchester County Sheriff James Phillips Jr.
After he retrieved the ball, Green walked back over the top of the septic tank when the top of the tank collapsed, Phillips said.
Green then fell into the tank.
Nancy Coates, Green's great aunt, who was at the scene when the incident occurred, tried to retrieve Green from the tank but was unsuccessful, according to the sheriff's office report.
Dorchester County Sheriff's deputies, Cambridge EMS, and members of the Linkwood-Salem and Vienna Volunteer fire departments responded to the scene on Monday at 2:18 p.m.
"It appears the prop of the septic tank caved in," said Chief Keith Adkins of the Linkwood-Salem Volunteer fire department. "The open section was two feet by two feet."
Once at the scene, Adkins retrieved Green from the septic tank. Rescue crews immediately performed CPR on Green.
Green was submerged under the tank's contents for about 8 minutes before rescue crews could retrieve him, Phillips said.
He was then taken to Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge where attempts to revive him failed.
Green was born in Salisbury on January 9, 2002. He was the son of Sandra L. Slacum and Bobby L. Green.
On Tuesday, Phillips advised all Dorchester County residents who have older type septic systems to check the stability of the tops of their tanks.
"There are hundreds of these types of tanks in the county," Phillips said in a written statement. "This was a very tragic and terrible accident. If residents will check their tanks, hopefully we will never experience this type of incident again."
A funeral service will be held on Friday morning at 11 a.m. at the Thomas Funeral Home in Cambridge. Interment will follow at East New Market Cemetery.
