'Prayer Baby' Drowns in Church's Baptism Tank

His mother prayed for years for a son, but he didn't reach his 2nd birthday
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 24, 2014 8:36 AM CDT
'Prayer Baby' Drowns in Church's Baptism Tank
An Orthodox Christian pilgrim immerses himself in a tub of water taken from the Jordan River after it was blessed during a baptism ceremony at Qasr al-Yahud near Jericho on April 14, 2009.   (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)

A mother in Decatur, Ala., says her prayers were answered when, after years of trying, she had a baby boy nearly two years ago. But tragedy struck when Brayden King was left in the care of his teen sister at church on Friday: She lost track of him for a short while, and he was found dead in 33 inches of water in the church's baptismal tank, reports Reuters. Brayden was 22 months old.

"I've been preaching 30 years, this is the first time in my ministry I've been speechless," the pastor of the Pentecostal House of Prayer tells AL.com. "I know [God] is too wise to make mistakes, but in my humanity, I can't lie. I've had to get on my knees." He plans to do baptisms at another church for the time being, adds the Christian Post. "I don't know how long it will take to heal." An autopsy will likely be performed in the next few days. (Earlier this summer, a 2-year-old nearly drowned—hours after swimming in a pool.)

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