Two young boys died after falling through the ice of a frozen Oklahoma creek over the weekend, according to authorities and heartbroken relatives.
Pals Talon Whinery, 8, and Emmett Bennett, 9, plunged through the ice into the frigid waters of Bird Creek in Avant on Saturday evening, according to Newson6.
Police rushed to the scene around 7:13 p.m. after receiving a call that one of the children was found in the water near the bank of Bird Creek, according to the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.
The child was taken out of the water, and lifesaving measures were given, but the boy was pronounced dead, cops said.
The second boy was discovered dead after dozens of emergency personnel scoured the creek for several hours — utilizing ground teams, aerial drones, and a specialized rescue boat to find him, cops added.
Though police haven’t officially identified the two boys, family members said Whinery had been hurriedly pulled out of the creek by his uncle and grandfather, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser.
“His grandpa and his uncle found him, pulled him out of Bird Creek, and immediately began CPR, but our baby boy was not responsive and was pronounced dead at the scene. Our hearts are shattered and it feels unreal,” a statement on the fundraiser for his funeral read.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Bennett’s family also said that the young boy “drowned in a creek near their home.”
“Their world has been turned upside down, and they are facing a pain no parent should ever have to endure,” a statement said of the 9-year-old’s parents, Lance and Kendra Bennett.
“We wanted to look through the woods. They wouldn’t let us. I understand,” Emmett Bennett’s aunt, Angela Randolph, told Newson6 of the search for her nephew.
“They thought he was in the water. We thought maybe he couldn’t be in the water, just scared because he saw his friend. So we had really high hopes.”
“I don’t know how to move forward yet,” Randolph said. “I don’t know how to help my sister and brother-in-law do that. I wish I could take their pain away.”
The sheriff warned residents in a statement to avoid venturing out on seemingly innocent frozen bodies of water, no matter how solid they appear.
“The Osage County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the entire Avant community during this unimaginable loss. Incidents involving children are among the most difficult situations first responders face, and this tragedy has deeply impacted everyone involved,” the statement read.
“As winter conditions continue, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office urges the public to avoid walking, playing, or operating vehicles on frozen bodies of water,” the statement continued.
“Ice conditions can be unpredictable and extremely dangerous, even when they appear solid.”
An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
