Drowning victims family speaks - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Drowning victim's family speaks

Posted: Updated:

  • More WALB News10 HeadlinesMore News Headlines

  • Monday, May 20 2013 7:22 AM EDT2013-05-20 11:22:08 GMT
    When times are tough, small businesses usually take the hardest hit but when things start looking up, they're often the quickest to recover. That's exactly what the Albany Chamber of Commerce says they've
    The Albany Chamber of Commerce is using a series of Lunch and Learns during National Small Business Appreciation week to make it easier for small businesses to bounce back, by encouraging all to participate and gather the right tools.

  • Monday, May 20 2013 12:58 AM EDT2013-05-20 04:58:02 GMT
    © Madison Daughtry
    A South Georgia girl is asking the community for help to provide scholarships for college-bound young women. In February, Madison Daughtry was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Leesburg for the
    In February, Madison Daughtry was named the Distinguish Young Woman of Leesburg for the Class of 2014.

  • Sunday, May 19 2013 6:16 PM EDT2013-05-19 22:16:35 GMT
    The Tift County Sheriff's investigators are still searching for clues to find a missing pregnant woman. Her mother is making a plea to find her daughter who hasn't been seen in more than two months. Diane
    The Tift County Sheriff's investigators are still searching for clues to find Crystal Hendrix. Her mother is making a plea to find her daughter who hasn't been seen in more than two months.
    •   

A south Georgia family says they can't afford a proper burial for a little boy who drowned. Nine-year old Jakob Peters died in a pond near his Terrell County home Thursday night.

Loved ones are mourning and hoping for help to pay for a funeral. They're asking for the community's assistance.

They say it will cost about $3,500 to lay Jakob Peters to rest, and that's money they don't have. Peters will always be a fond memory in the minds of his friends and family.

"He was such a sweet little man and so full of life,"said his aunt, Pam Hewitt. "I think about Jay Jay as a ray of sunshine and that's how I will remember him."

Hewitt says Jakob, went to a private pond with his brother and sister off Old Miller road around 8:00 p.m. It's down the street from where they live on Tammy Lane road.

Hewitt says Jakob's brother threw a stick towards him. He tried to catch it while he was standing near the ledge. That's when he fell into the water. Jay Jay's aunt says the area he fell into may have been deeper than the rest of the pond.

Jakob's sister and brother ran home to tell their other siblings. By the time they returned to the pond, he had already drowned.

Dawson police and rescue crews spent several hours searching for Jakob Thursday night.

Jakob's mom and dad are still too shaken to talk to us about their son. They say they appreciate everyone who's come by to pay their respects in hugs and on paper including his third grad teacher Blake Paul who says Jakob was selfless.

"If anyone needed paper or a pencil or snacks he was the first one to jump up and share," said Paul. "He always wanted everybody else to be happy."

The private pond where the Peters were playing belonged to Dawson's city manager, Barney Parnacott. He's says it's a tragic situation and his prayers are with the family.

If you'd like to help the family cover funeral costs, you can send donations to: Johnson & Son Funeral home: 249 South Main Street, Dawson, GA 39842-1427. (229) 995-4662