Ashley Ackerman lost her 4-year-old son Braxton to drowning in March of 2022. After a recent uptick in drowning incidents in the Valley, she is spreading the word about the importance of safety.
“Braxton was the most adventurous child,” said Ackerman.
She describes him as smart and really like any typical kid, with a love of trucks and superheroes.
His main focus in March of 2022 was turning four years old.
Just days after his birthday, his five other siblings joined him at their San Tan Valley home on spring break.
“It was like any other day that we had our kids home,” said Ackerman. “Some were playing video games. Some were playing dolls.”

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Eventually, Ashley and her husband realized they didn’t know where Braxton was.
“He had never paid attention to the pool in the past,” said Ackerman.
She rushed to the backyard, where the family had secured their pool fence that was waiting to get fixed.
“I saw his figure and it was instant flight [to] get him out of the water, and I screamed to my husband,” said Ackerman. “Braxton had made it through our pool fence.”
Her 4-year-old son didn’t survive.
The CDC says children ages 1-4 die more from drowning than any other cause of death.
In 2023, ABC15 reported on 46 near-drownings involving children in the Valley and a dozen deadly incidents.
Since the start of 2024, there have been 18 media-reported near-drowning incidents involving kids in the Phoenix metro area and six deadly incidents.
“When I say I own it, I say I own it because I know their pain,” said Ackerman.
“I remember every second of it,” said Ackerman. “I remember telling my five kids their brother wasn’t going to come home.”
Ackerman is now partnering with Pinal County and, to share Braxton’s story, hoping to warn others.
She said she wishes she knew some of the statistics and what "layers of protection" meant before losing her son.
The layers Ackerman encourages people to have include a self-latching gate, eye-to-eye supervision, CPR training, and educating kids on water safety.
“When you bundle them together, and you realize the more you have, the safer you are,” said Ackerman. “But still nothing is foolproof. It changes the way you think about things.”
“He is going to be someone’s superhero out of all this,” said Ackerman.
She has also started a foundation called Swim4Braxton.
“We focus a lot on water safety and water protection efforts,” said Ackerman.
Ahead of a holiday weekend and summer, Ackerman hopes parents listen and learn.
Ackerman encourages parents who don't know where to start or have something in their own backyard that isn't safe to call her.
"Call me and let me get it fixed for you," Ackerman said.
SRP also offers a comprehensive checklist and other resources to prevent water emergencies.
To help keep your family safe, here are some precautions to take and things to know as you head out to pools, lakes, and other bodies of water this spring and summer:
- Ask water watchers to put away all distractions, such as electronic devices and books.
- Make sure water watchers know the address.
- If at a pool, water watchers should scan the bottom of the pool before leaving and lock the pool gate.
- Water watchers must actively watch those in their care, being sure to scan the area and keep count of everyone in the group, not just children.
- When near a pool, lock any pool gates each time someone enters or exits. Never prop a gate open.
- Be aware of buckets, puddles, ponds and play structures that may be safety hazards.
- Learn how to perform CPR on infants, children and adults. Knowing can save lives.
Teach all kids to swim at an appropriate age and remember that it’s never too late for adults to learn how to swim.
Keeping water safety top of mind as more families spend time at pools during warmer weather