Tommy Lee Admits Drowned Boy Was Left Alone

June 19, 2001 -- MALIBU, Calif. (Reuters) — Former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee told authorities that a 4-year-old boy who drowned in a pool during a birthday party at his home had been left alone "for a minute," according to the tape of a 911 call to police made public on Monday.

In the call, Lee said, "There's a big pool party here and no one was paying attention for a minute." According to the tape, the operator then asked if the boy's chest or stomach was rising and Lee said, "I don't know — everyone is pressing in on him."

The operator then warned Lee to stop people from doing that and Lee, sounding agitated, said, "I know, there's a bunch of [expletive] people all doing their thing so I don't know what the [expletive] to do. OK."

The boy, Daniel Karven Veres, drowned on Saturday at Lee's Malibu home. Adults at the party tried to resuscitate the child while waiting for an ambulance, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital, police said.

The child, who had apparently been swimming with several other children, was found floating face down in the shallow end of the pool, police said.

The boy's father, James Veres, a television producer, told a local radio station on Sunday that more people should have been hired to supervise the children and called his son's death "inexcusable."

It was not clear whether the birthday party was held for Lee's eldest son, Brandon Thomas, who turned 5 on June 5, or Lee's other son, Dylan Jagger, who will turn 4 on Dec. 29. Their mother is the former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson.

Lee is the former drummer and founding member of the band Mötley Crüe.