Two days after a tragic drowning in a SW Miami-Dade neighborhood, a mourning aunt is remembering her great nephew, five-year-old Mario Chavez.
“He was amazing,” Bonnie Bond said. “He loved life. He loved stuffed teddy bears. He was so curious and just such a happy, happy child. Our hearts are heavy right now.”
She’s speaking out for the first time since the boy drowned in a family member’s swimming pool.
Investigators said it happened around 7:30 Thursday night at a home near SW 168th Terrace and 149th Avenue.
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Family members were home but say Mario somehow ended up in the pool.
Bond told NBC6 that when they realized he drowned, she started doing CPR.
“I did CPR prior to paramedics getting here,” Bond said. “It was just frustrating trying to do everything you could to try to save him. I was so tired. One of the neighbors tried to help me with just giving him CPR and trying to save his life. It’s was just so hard.”
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She says the grief has been overwhelming.
“I couldn’t save him,” Bond said. “That’s just something I have to live with for the rest of my life.”
She said the boy’s mother and grandmother are so distraught, they both ended up in the hospital.
Bond sends anyone with small children especially near pools or bodies of water needs to be sure to keep a watchful eye.
“It’s important to keep your eyes on small children 24/7,” she added.
The family has created a GoFundMe page for support during this time.
