A Dayton officer helped a 1-year-old breathe again after a near-drowning

A Dayton police officer is being recognized for helping a 1-year-old start breathing again. WHIO reported on October 23, 2026, that Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson honored Officer Elizabeth Mote through the state's Heart of Kindness initiative. In a video he posted, Mote described a call in which dispatch sent west side crews to an infant who might have drowned.

Inside, officers found a 1-year-old who was unresponsive and not breathing. A neighbor who had heard the mother calling for help had already started chest compressions. Mote gave back blows until the child responded and coughed. She said the room went quiet with relief at that first cough. She and her partner followed the ambulance to the hospital, and she stayed with the child. The child reached for her hand and fell asleep.

WHIO reported that the child made a full recovery. The station's account names Mote and describes what she and the neighbor did. It does not name the child or the family, and it does not give the date of the call itself.