Two 7-year-old twin brothers have died after falling through the ice on a pond in Onslow County, North Carolina, despite their mother’s attempts to save them.
Emergency crews were called to Mayberry Lane around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, after a report that two children had fallen into a frozen pond, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Their mother, Barbara Zarlinga, told WITN she had been cooking dinner while the boys — Benjamin and Sebastian Pufall — played outside. When they didn’t come in after she called them, she went to look for them and discovered one child in the water.
“I didn’t know it was him at the time. I was praying to God it was a toy,” Zarlinga said. “When I got into the water, I knew it was not.”
Zarlinga pulled Sebastian from the pond and attempted lifesaving measures, WITN reported. Authorities said the second child was quickly located and removed from the water by responding emergency personnel.
Both boys were taken to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, but later died from their injuries, the sheriff’s office said. The incident has been ruled an accident.
“This is a heartbreaking day for our community,” Sheriff Chris Thomas said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they face an unimaginable loss.” He added that deputies and first responders involved in the rescue were also being kept in the community’s thoughts.
Zarlinga was treated at the hospital for hypothermia, according to WITN.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Kia Lewis has raised more than $23,000 to support Zarlinga following the deaths. In the fundraiser description, Lewis said the tragedy has left Zarlinga and her family “heartbroken,” adding that Zarlinga “has always been the first to offer help to others in need, and now she needs our support more than ever.”
