WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Teen drowns while trying to save children

Teen drowns while trying to save children

By Roslyn Anderson - bio | email

SIMPSON COUNTY, MS (WLBT) - A family is mourning the sudden death of a teenager who's being called a hero after losing his life while trying to save others from drowning.

Shortly after 911 dispatchers took the call, rescue crews and drive teams converged on the large pond near a house on Highway 28 off Highway 13 about 11 miles south of Mendenhall.

"They had a 15-year-old white male that had drowned while trying to rescue several children that were out in a boat that capsized on a family lake," said Simpson County Undersheriff Will Carroll.  

The teenager's name has not been released. Distraught family members declined to comment.

Despite being a sunny day, investigators said the frigid water temperature may have caused the boy to go under while saving the children.

"Cold water makes your muscles tighten up," Carroll said. "If you're not a good swimmer, you will not be able to take yourself out -- and especially try to rescue somebody else. The young man did a valiant effort, and he did help rescue several of the children that were on the boat, but he succumbed to the water himself."

The Pinola Volunteer Fire Department and the Crystal Springs Fire Department rescue dive team aided in the search. The found the boy's body after nearly three hours of scouring the murky waters.

Authorities said adults were also on the property but were unable to save the young man.

No other injuries were reported.