The Boys Were Skipping Stones, Then Fell Into the Lake

2 cousins apparently were unaware of steep drop-off in Massachusetts lake
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2021 1:45 PM CDT
Cousins Drown While Skipping Rocks in Shallow Water
Stock photo of skipping stones.   (Getty Images)

Tiago Depina, 12, and his 13-year-old cousin were skipping rocks at a Massachusetts lake on Saturday evening when the people they were with realized they hadn't seen the boys for at least five minutes. Hours later, both boys were confirmed dead. NBC Boston reports Tiago and Rafael Andrande had been in shallow waters at Waldo Lake in Brockton around 7:30pm. Investigators believe one of the boys accidentally fell in at a point in the lake where there is a sudden drop-off. Neither boy could swim, but it's assumed the second tried to rescue the first. Both bodies were recovered from a depth of about 10 feet and transported to a hospital, where the cousins were pronounced dead.

The Boston Herald reports Valdo Centeio was at the park at the time and spent an hour searching for the boys in the water along with a friend. He tells NBC Boston that he heard family members screaming and suspects the boys "went down the ramp, but they didn't know that once they reached the end of the ramp, they were just going to go right in." He adds to CBS Boston, "If you go 10 feet, you fall right down, probably 20 feet under." A GoFundMe campaign set up to assist the boys' families has raised more than $30,000. (More accidental death stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X