Two teenage stepbrothers were found “holding onto each other” when their bodies were pulled from a river in Maine after drowning at a popular swimming spot, their family said.
Sanford High School student, Tavayne Weir, 17, and his stepbrother, D’andre Graham,16, died over the weekend at the Springvale Recreation Area, where swimmers are known to make daredevil leaps from a 30-foot cliff into the water, news station WMTW reported.
The pair had told their parents they were going to the swimming spot on Sunday, officials said. When they didn’t return by their 10 p.m. curfew, their loved ones contacted authorities.
Police immediately located the car the duo had arrived in but saw no sign of the teens themselves.
The fire department was called to assist with the search and, after an hour and a half, found the bodies of both Tavayne and D’andre underwater.
“Using flashlights and high intensity lights, they were able locate them below the water,” said Major Matthew Gagne of the Sanford Police Department to WMTW.
The stepbrothers were found about a quarter-mile from 30-foot high cliff where swimmers are known to jump into the river.
“We don’t know if they were jumping or just swimming because we don’t know exactly what time they went in. We assume they were probably by themselves as well because we had no calls from that area that anybody was in distress or actively drowning,” Gagne explained.
“There was probably a one- or two-mile-an-hour current, too, so that can change where they were located.”
The boys’ bodies were taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta, Maine, where autopsies will be performed to determine their cause of deaths, WMTW reports.
A GoFundMe page to raise funds for the teenagers’ funeral expenses revealed how their bodies were found together.
“They showed incredible courage and loyalty, holding on to each other until the very end, demonstrating the deep bond they shared.”
According to the fundraiser, Tavayne and D’andre “always considered each other brothers, and when their parents Kerryan and Morris got married last year, it made their brother bond official”.
“They were more than stepbrothers; they were true brothers to each other. Growing up in Jamaica, they did everything together, from playing basketball and riding bikes to gaming,” it said.
Tavayne and D’andre had planned to become delivery drivers with DoorDash, according to the tribute.
“Sticking together as always, with the hope of providing for the family and allowing their parents to finally rest,” the fundraiser read.
“Monday was to be their first night on the job.”
Sanford Superintendent of Schools Matt Nelson expressed “profound sadness” over the boys’ deaths in a letter to parents of students at the school.
“Our sincere condolences and thoughts go out to the student’s family and friends,” Nelson wrote.
“We are saddened by the loss to our school community and will make every effort to help you and your child as you need.”
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