A 6-year-old girl who fell into a DeKalb creek died at the hospital Thursday evening, authorities confirmed.
The girl and her 10-year-old brother were playing by a creek in the 2900 block of Athena Lane in unincorporated Lithonia, and she fell in after a tree branch she was standing on broke, DeKalb County fire Capt. Dion Bentley told AJC.com.
Relatives identified the girl as Damerria Hooten in a GoFundMe page set up to raise $10,000 for the child's burial.
“Anything would help,” the family wrote in a message on the GoFundMe page. “We thank and appreciate everyone that is able to contribute and thank everyone who just send your condolences.”
Witnesses said the girl was flailing in the creek, which is about 6 feet deep, and she wasn’t able to get out, Channel 2 Action News reported. A group of children tried to help her but were unsuccessful.
After a search, authorities were able to pull her out of the water and take her to a hospital, where she died.
“It’s just a tragedy,” Bentley said. “Kids were just playing after school, wandering down to the creek, and with the embankment, it’s tough for a kid to get out. It’s just sad.”
Bentley said he doesn’t anticipate charges to be filed in this incident, but an investigation is ongoing.
No other details have been released.
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