The drowning that killed the young son of a former Brigham Young University football star happened at a private home pool in California — not on BYU’s Provo campus or at any Utah County or Salt Lake County public facility — and local authorities have ruled out foul play.
Haze Brown, age 2, the youngest child of former Cougars running back Curtis Brown and his wife, Kim, drowned on Sunday, July 26, 2026, in the family’s private swimming pool at their single-family home in Clovis, California, authorities confirmed. A family member discovered the toddler unresponsive in the water and called 911. Clovis police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded and attempted CPR, but they could not revive him. Haze was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead there, according to multiple accounts grounded in local law-enforcement statements.
Tony Botti, public information officer for the Fresno County Sheriff Coroner’s Office, confirmed by email to the Deseret News that 2-year-old Haze Brown of Clovis “drowned in a swimming pool on July 26” and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Clovis Police Department spokesman Ty Wood told the New York Post there were no suspicious circumstances. “It’s an extremely unfortunate situation,” Wood said. “Adults should never let children swim unsupervised and should always learn CPR and keep safety and rescue equipment nearby.”
That confirmation answers a central question for Utah readers who saw the story framed through the BYU community: the accident was not tied to university pools, campus recreation, or a Utah public waterway. It occurred at a residential property in the Fresno-area city of Clovis, where Curtis Brown works in pharmaceutical sales and Kim Brown works part-time as a nurse, according to family friend Chandler Pearson.
Haze was the couple’s fifth child, described on a family fundraiser as a “miracle baby” after years of fertility struggles, prayer, fasting and medical intervention. The Browns also have 13-year-old triplets — Julie, Cruze and Kash — and a 12-year-old son, Trey. Deseret News reporting has previously detailed that the triplets were carried by a surrogate and that Trey was conceived naturally around the same period.
Days before the drowning, Kim Brown posted on Instagram about Haze’s bond with his older siblings and about a family trip to Newport Beach. In one post she wrote that the age gap she had worried about had become “the biggest blessing,” and that watching the older boys “love on Haze” was among her favorite parts of that season of life. On July 24 she shared photos from Newport Beach, joking that Haze preferred tossing marshmallows into the fire over eating s’mores.
Curtis Brown remains one of the most recognizable names from BYU’s mid-2000s teams. A Palmdale, California native, he played for the Cougars from 2002 to 2006 under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, finished as BYU’s all-time leading rusher at the time of his departure (later surpassed by Harvey Unga), and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2007 before being released after the preseason. Career tallies cited in recent coverage put him near 3,200 rushing yards with more than 1,300 receiving yards and dozens of touchdowns across 50-plus games.
Utah’s football community responded quickly on social media. Former BYU quarterback John Beck posted July 28: “Cougar Nation, my teammate and his family have experienced a huge tragedy. A big thank you and much love to anyone who can help,” linking the fundraiser. The post drew more than 100,000 views and hundreds of likes and reposts. BYU radio analyst and former Cougar Hans Olsen wrote that his “heart and love” went out to Kim and Curtis and that “this BYU legend could use all your love and support.” Pearson told the Deseret News that “dozens and dozens” of Curtis’s former teammates and coaches — including Mendenhall, now Utah State’s head coach in Logan — have reached out.
Pearson, whose wife is Kim Brown’s cousin, organized a GoFundMe launched July 28 from Clovis to help with funeral costs and unexpected expenses. The page states the family has experienced an “unimaginable loss” and asks supporters who cannot give money to keep the Browns in their thoughts and prayers. As of July 31, the campaign had raised about $95,525 toward a $100,000 goal from 863 donors. Pearson said Wednesday the family is “completely leaning on each other, their friends, and their faith” and is “completely rocked.” He later said the outpouring of support is appreciated but that the family now “needs some space.” Kim’s parents, who have been serving a Latter-day Saint mission in Croatia, already planned to return for family events in Utah and California in the coming weeks.
Fox News Digital reported that BYU did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Searches of official BYU and BYUCougars channels turned up no standalone institutional statement as of July 31; public condolences have come primarily from former players, coaches, local Utah media and fans rather than a university press release.
What happens next is largely private. No criminal investigation has been indicated. Funeral arrangements have not been publicly detailed beyond the fundraiser’s purpose of covering costs. Wood’s pool-safety reminder remains the clearest official guidance attached to the case: continuous adult supervision, CPR skills and rescue equipment near residential pools. For Cougar Nation and the Browns’ ward and California community, the immediate work is supporting a family that, in Pearson’s words, is “saddened beyond description” after losing the child they called their miracle baby.
