2 girls identified in San Jose double-drowning

San Jose - The circumstances leading up to a double-drowning in a backyard pool at a San Jose residential daycare have yet to be explained, San Jose police said Tuesday as the family linked to the facility declined comment when approached by KTVU.

"Don't film me! Why are you here?" said a man as he walked into the home on Fleetwood Drive.

The Happy Happy Daycare in the Almaden neighborhood was the scene of a tragic discovery at about 9 a.m. Monday, about an hour after the daycare opened for business. 

Three children were found in the pool.

Two of them, 18-month-old Payton Alexandria Cobb of Hollister and Lillian Hanan, 1, of San Jose died. The third suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

"Nearly 24 hours after this incident, all of us are in shock, feeling the trauma," said Officer Steve Aponte, a San Jose police spokesman. "This is the type of call that’s the worst that a parent can receive. As a department, we’re going to investigate this." 

Aponte says it’s unclear how the kids ended up in the pool, which is surrounded by a gate and is accessible via a door in the backyard playground.

"Somehow along the way, there are ways that those doors opened up. Whether or not that was the juveniles themselves, whether it was some other method, we’re still looking into that," Aponte said.

Aponte said a number of other questions have yet to be answered, including how many caregivers were on duty at the time, where were they when the kids fell into the pool and whether they could face any criminal charges.

"Questions of how this happened and to really have the hard answers as to why two children are dead," Aponte said. 

He said the tragedy is a grim reminder that parents need to evaluate their childcare choices.

"The incident, as a whole, is an eye-opener to many families, not just here in San Jose, but nationwide, to really do their due diligence and investigate it," Aponte said.

Chuey Anima lives across the street from the day care, where he’d see kids being dropped off and picked up every day for the past couple of years.

"It’s just sad, because two babies, just being a parent myself, it’s just your heart goes out to the parents," Anima said.

The double-drowning investigation is being conducted by San Jose police, the Santa Clara District Attorney's office and the Department of Family and Children Services. 

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan