North Texas

Former Swim Coach Charged in Southlake Teen's Drowning

Elise Cerami, 13, drowned in June 2016

A former North Texas swimming coach has been indicted for negligence following the drowning of a 13-year-old girl.

Tracey Anne Boyd, 49, was indicted Wednesday by a Tarrant County Grand Jury on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child by criminal negligence.

Elise Cerami drowned during a swim club practice on June 20, 2016 at the Carroll Independent School District Aquatic Center.

Cerami Family
Elise Cerami, 13, drowned following a swim team workout at the Carroll Independent School District Aquatics Center June 20, 2016.

At the time, Boyd was an assistant swimming coach for the North Texas Natadores, which is owned by the Carroll ISD, and Boyd was an employee of the school district. Boyd is no longer employed by the Carroll ISD, according to a district spokesperson.

The indictment indicates that Boyd, “did engage in criminally negligent conduct, namely by failing to watch or observe Elise Cerami while Elise Cerami was swimming.”

The Cerami family released a statement Wednesday evening.

“The charge against Tracey Boyd describes her conduct and we believe that the district attorney will devote the full resources of their office to the case against Boyd. While the court system proceeds with the grand jury’s indictment, our efforts will continue in water safety and drowning prevention,” the Cerami family statement read.

Since the teenager’s death, her family has launched a safety awareness campaign via the Swim4Elise Foundation, the Cerami family indicated.

A 13-year-old girl dies after being found unresponsive Monday in the Carroll Independent School District Aquatics Center pool, officials say.

The foundation works to heighten water safety awareness through the annual Run4Elise 5K fundraiser, the Lifeguard Challenge and our daycare outreach programs.

“We are doing our best to make a positive change in water safety and our hearts go out to other families who have lost a child to drowning,” the Cerami family statement noted.

Upon the discovery of Cerami in the pool, another swimming coach, Bill Christensen, suffered symptoms of a heart attack after attempting to perform CPR on the teen until paramedics arrived.

Christensen survived his incident, and has not been charged with a crime.

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