“I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing not one, but two loved ones in a single tragic moment,” a family friend wrote on GoFundMe
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- A mother and her 12-year-old son drowned in a Virginia pond after she jumped into the water to save him
- The woman, Maria Elena López Solís, leaves behind five children and her life partner
- A family friend said that López Solís’ husband did “everything he could to save them” during the tragic incident
A mother and her 12-year-old son tragically drowned in a Virginia pond after she jumped in to save him from the water.
At around 6 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 2, the Chesterfield County Police and Chesterfield Fire and EMS responded to reports that a boy entered a private pond and began to struggle in the water in the 13300 block of Bradley Bridge Road, according to local outlets WWBT and WRIC.
After noticing that he was in trouble, a 30-year-old female family member entered the pond in an attempt to rescue him before going underwater herself.
Credit: GoFundMe
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Despite officers and crews immediately beginning lifesaving efforts, police said they were both pronounced dead at the scene, per local outlets.
The Chesterfield County Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The woman and the child have been identified as Maria Elena López Solís and her son, Jonathan, according to a GoFundMe created by a family friend to raise funds to bring the pair’s bodies back home to Guatemala.
López Solís leaves behind five children and her life partner, according to the fundraiser.
“As I reflect on the words of her husband, I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing not one, but two loved ones in a single tragic moment — after he, too, did everything he could to save them,” Natasha Contreras wrote on GoFundMe. “Every donation, every share, and every prayer brings us one step closer to bringing this heroic mother home to Guatemala, where she will be laid to rest beside her beloved son in the country she called home.”
“You are helping a grieving family honor the memory of an extraordinary mother and her son,” she added. “Thank you for standing with this family during their darkest time.”
Read the full article here
