Stephora’s cries captured on video as classmates watch, lawyers say

Santo Domingo.- Surveillance footage released this week shows 11‑year‑old Stephora Anne‑Mircié Joseph crying for help as she sinks into a deep, unmarked section of a pool during a school outing at Hacienda Los Caballos in Santiago, family lawyers and local reports say. The recordings have intensified public outrage and prompted prosecutors to detain several school employees as investigators probe whether a chain of omissions by adults on site contributed to the child’s death.

Footage shows children watching as girl struggles; lawyers say no one alerted adults

Family attorney Miguel Díaz told reporters that several children were standing directly in front of Stephora when she began to sink. “There are about six children in front who see her, point at her while she is drowning. They let her drown, they do not raise an alarm, they say nothing. After she submerges, despite fighting for her life, they move away from the spot and go to another area of the pool,” Díaz said. According to the lawyer, none of the children present attempted to alert an adult or call for help.

The videos, described by the family’s legal team as “harrowing,” appear to capture Stephora entering a sudden drop in the pool and immediately struggling while nearby children do not summon help and supervising adults fail to intervene, lawyers who have reviewed the material say. Family attorneys contend the child remained submerged for an extended period before adults reacted, a claim that has become central to calls for accountability.

Prosecutors detain school employees as investigation continues

Authorities have detained four employees linked to the Instituto Integral de Educación Leonardo Da Vinci and requested precautionary measures, including financial guarantees and electronic monitoring for the accused, court records and prosecutors’ statements show. Hearings on coercive measures were postponed at the defense’s request. Prosecutors said the investigation will continue while forensic and audiovisual analyses are completed, and the family has demanded full, unedited access to all surveillance material.

The case has sparked a broader debate about supervision ratios, safety protocols and the suitability of excursion sites for children, with parents and community leaders demanding clearer rules and stronger enforcement to prevent similar tragedies. The school and the site’s operators have not publicly detailed their safety procedures; investigators say they will examine whether the outing complied with required safeguards.