Kids drown picking Mother's Day flowers

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WOOD) - Two 6-year-old children died Sunday at a vacant Muskegon Heights home when they were picking flowers for Mother's Day and drowned in a backyard pool.

Torrey Day was with his friend, Ya'mesha Mitchell, when he slipped in the pool, one of his family members told 24 Hour News 8.

"He loves his mom, he was out picking flowers," said Derby Hardy, the child's aunt. "Two playmates -- one gets in trouble and the first thing you think is, I gotta help him. And (Ya'mesha) lost her life trying to help her friend."

The children drowned around 1 p.m in the 2500 block of Howden. Neighbors such as David McCall rushed to the scene to help.

"Me and my sister began CPR on her for at least 10 or 15 minutes, but it just didn't work," McCall said. "It didn't help. At the time, I wasn't really thinking. I was just trying to help the little girl because I have small daughters and I just wanted to help her -- just wanted to bring her back.

"So, I was just thinking, 'bring her back, God. Help me bring her back.' "

The backyard pool was empty, except for a few feet of rain water.

"It was really dirty water," McCall said. "We had to feel for them -- we couldn't even see them."

Family members leaned on each other for support Sunday night.

"I mean, one minute you just think, they're just never going to come back," Hardy said. "It's just so painful. You never get over losing a child. You just don't."

Added Torrey's aunt, Angie Copeland: "Especially around this time of the year -- every year, that's when it's really gonna hurt her, because it's gonna be like, Mother's Day is coming and (the) first thing she's gonna think about is (the) child."

Officials were in the neighborhood for about five hours, taking photos and interviewing neighbors. Muskegon Heights police are investigating.