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Putnam Co. infant found dead in septic tank

Posted at 8:00 AM, Mar 30, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-30 09:25:23-04

A community is coming together in mourning after the tragic and apparently accidental death of a young boy. Little Jose Lara was just a year and a half old.

Diana Montero is a friend of the Lara family. She and Jose's mother Maria have been close friends since Maria came to the U.S. from Honduras last year.

Maria, with her head bowed, told Diana she was not yet ready to speak after losing Jose Monday. Deputies said Jose was found in a septic tank on the family property after falling in.

"She, not in a million years, ever thought that this would happen," Montero said. "He was always smiling, laughing."

In front of the home, you can see boxes of items community members have dropped off, a response Montero says is "overwhelming."

Jose's 6-year-old sister tries to comfort her mother as the family awaits more details about the boy's death.