South County

A 5-year-old girl from Whittier apparently drowned at Upper Otay Lake after her mother left her unattended for 15 minutes by the edge of the water Friday morning, sheriff’s officials said.

Leia Reed and her mother were visiting the lake about 8:30 a.m. when the mother went back to her car to retrieve her wallet, deputies said. Upon her return, Leia, who had been playing near the water’s edge, could not be seen.

After a search turned up nothing, the mother returned to the car, drove to Chula Vista and reported the incident to Sheriff’s Department officials, deputies said.

The department’s search and rescue team was called after deputies spotted the floating device the child had been playing with, a department spokesman said. The girl’s body was found at 11:45.

The cause of death will be determined by the San Diego County coroner’s office.