'When I pulled him out... he was lifeless': Neighbor recalls boy's near-drowning and recovery

A toddler is showing signs of improvement after a near-drowning incident in Dos Palos.

The incident happened on January 2.

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A close friend of the family says the little boy had been playing outside with his 6-year-old sister when he wandered off and fell into a nearby canal.

Now, he is recovering here at Valley Children's and his family is hoping for a miracle.

"I look that way and my wife looks down and she sees him right there she goes, 'oh my gosh, he's here!'

Steven Solis wasted no time jumping into the canal to save one-year-old Angel Martinez Alvares who was found face down in the water on January 2.

"When I pulled him out of the canal he was lifeless; he had a haze in his eyes - you know he looked like he was gone."

Moments before, Solis says he and several neighbors spent no more than 10 minutes looking for Angel once his mom realized her baby boy was missing.

Solis tells us the toddler slipped out her sight and within minutes was nowhere to be seen.

Dos Palos police say CPR was performed until paramedics arrived and took the toddler, who loved to be outside, to Los Banos Memorial Hospital.

Now he is at Valley Children's where he has been fighting for his life for two weeks.

"He's doing way better. He's actually opening his eyes, they say he is laughing. They don't want him overwhelmed too much."

Solis is hoping the community will continue to pray for Angel and hope he makes a full recovery, instead of targeting his parents for something he says was an accident.

"We all make mistakes just turning our backs for a second. Please don't mess with the parents, it can happen to anybody."