A 25-year-old woman and a 5-year-old boy drowned Saturday afternoon at the Houston home of former Los Angeles Dodgers player Carl Crawford. The boy was swimming in the backyard pool when he reportedly began having trouble breathing. The woman jumped in to try and save him, according to Houston Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Houston Police and Fire Departments were called to the 1400 block of Mansfield on Saturday afternoon. An unidentified individual placed a call about a drowning at about 2:40 p.m. The woman and the boy were both unresponsive when they were transported to Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital. Both were declared dead, per Silva.
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TMZ reports that Crawford, who is now a record label chief, was hosting a small gathering of six people at his home. Houston currently allows gatherings of 10 or fewer under the current stay-at-home order amid the pandemic. A source close to the situation told the outlet that Crawford went into his home, which is when the incident occurred. He tried to revive both the woman and the boy but was unsuccessful.
KHOU11 has learned that the woman was Bethany Lartigue. She was in a relationship with another woman that is signed to Crawford’s label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. Lartigue’s family said that they were filming music videos at the former baseball player’s home when the drowning occurred. The family also said that Lartigue was not related to the 5-year-old, who has not been identified.
Crawford, a Houston native, spent 15 years in Major League Baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him with a second-round pick during the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft. Although he did not make his MLB debut until 2002. Crawford spent nine years in Tampa and was named an All-Star four times.
Following his time in Tampa, Crawford joined the Boston Red Sox on a seven-year, $142 million contract. The left-hander was a sought-after prospect during free agency, but he opted for the Red Sox. The team called him a “game-changer” and showed that faith by making Crawford the first player in team history to average more than $20 million annually.
Two years later, however, Crawford landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a trade. He was dealing with hamstring injuries and other issues that ultimately ended his career but hoped for a rebirth of sorts in a new city. Instead, he only spent four years in Southern California prior to his release.
