In Colorado, a teenager died tragically while trying to help save three people who were stuck in an icy lake. There was one boy and two girls. The other kids lived through the disaster, but Dyllan Whittenburg, who was only 14 at the time, died in it.
In an interview with the local media on Tuesday, Dyllan Whittenburg’s family said that he died while trying to save three other children from the freezing waters of Crystal Lake. Dylan was the only child who had to be rescued by divers. The other three children were eventually brought to safety with the help of people who lived nearby. According to WDSU, the young man died in the afternoon of Thursday, November 24, one day after celebrating his 14th birthday.
UPDATE: child rescued from water by our dive team is a young teenager, he was taken to a local hospital. The two girls and another boy that fell through the ice are ok. They were closer to the shore and pulled out by neighbors who used hoses, extension cords and ropes. pic.twitter.com/OrXV9v9ojd
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) November 22, 2022
Speaking to CBS, Whittenburg’s aunt, Yvonne Wenzel, said,
From our understanding, Dyllan saw there was an issue, and he just took off running from what everybody said and dove in the water.
She added,
Unfortunately Dyllan, he went under and nobody could find him fast enough to get him.
West Metro Fire Rescue says that three of Dyllan’s friends were pulled out of the water by neighbors using hoses, extension cords, and ropes. Dyllan was finally pulled out of the water by a dive team, and they took him to a nearby hospital to get help. He died two days after spending the day in a hospital bed, which was the day after his 14th birthday. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is still looking into what happened, but the cause of death hasn’t been found yet.
On Thursday, the people who live in the Roxborough neighborhood held a candlelight vigil at Crystal Lake to honor Dyllan. Dyllan has left behind with his three younger siblings.
A friend named McKayla Weadick said,
He helped me through so much. Thick and thin. We were just like were always together. We have so many memories together,
New York Post reported. While sitting on the shore of the lake, Dyllan’s parents got a front-row seat to watch as balloons were released in his honor. His father said,
He touched everybody. That kid was amazing.
The boy’s aunt stated that one of her goals in life is for her nephew to be recognized as a hero. She told WDSU,
It’s so overwhelming. I cannot believe the amount of love that was shown here for my nephew tonight, it was just unreal.
A parent whose child went to the same school as Dyllan wrote prayers for him in a message that was posted on Facebook. In the post, the parent talks about how their child became friends with the brave teenager.
We asked Bryson if he knew Dyllan and he said he didn’t recognize his name, then once he saw his picture he said yes I met him one time at football practice when Brysons team was scrimmaging against the 8th grade team Dyllan played on. Bryson said his coach was riding him pretty hard that day about mistakes and Dyllan came up to him and told him he was doing great and to keep his head up.
It continued,
When Bryson told us this both Shannon and I were in awe of this kid who’s only interaction with our son was a moment of unselfish kindness and encouragement. I hope this message reaches his family and friends. He was not only heroic at the end of his young life, but was a good person to those he came into contact with in his daily life. Rest in Peace thank you for being a special young man.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Dyllan’s family and friends in these harsh times. We’re deeply saddened by the loss.
