5-year-old Dylan Brown is the second person to drown in Putnam County in nearly two weeks.
The incident happened on Ida Lake in Interchalen. Only a week before that, 18-year-old Xavier Frazier drowned while boating near Dunn’s Creek.
When Dylan’s family members couldn’t find him, they frantically contacted 911. 15 minutes after officers arrived, the young boy’s body was found.
Col. Joseph Wells said: “There was no indication that there was any type of negligence or carelessness on the family’s part in this.
“The leading cause in this case is, probably, boat ramps are dangerous places to swim.”
Officers urge people not to swim near boat ramps as the depths of the water can quickly change and it is difficult to see underneath.
Dylan, called Batman by his family, was so full of energy. “He was 90 to nothing, just constantly going,” his grandmother, Margaret Sapp, shared. “Didn’t meet anybody that he didn’t love.”
The boy’s mom, Erica May, said he was found near a hole that was 7 to 8 feet deep in the water.
“We went there many times, and he even swam around that hole many times. We kept him away from it because he knows it’s dangerous,” May said.
In an interview with News4jax, Dylan’s grandmother held his Batman shoe and said: “It’s the last thing he touched. I can’t let it go.”
It reminded her of one of her favorite recent memories of her grandson. “Just a couple weeks ago he saw me on the front porch, says, ‘Gamma, look! I put my shoes on the right foot and nobody told me.”
The family hopes their story will remind others to never take their eyes off of their children. “Your life can be changed in a second. Don’t take anything for granted. Let your loved ones know that you love them,” Sapp added.
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