A DeKalb County family is devastated after a 6-year-old girl died at the hospital after falling into a creek near the family’s home Thursday.
Damerria Hooten was playing with her 10-year-old brother near a creek in the 2900 block of Athena Lane in unincorporated Lithonia when she fell in after a branch she was standing on broke, AJC.com previously reported.
RELATED: 6-year-old girl dies at hospital after falling in DeKalb creek
Her aunt, Jasmine Hooten, said the family is still in shock.
“When I first woke up (Friday) morning, I just start crying all over again, and it just don’t seem to be true,” she told Channel 2 Action News. “It’s crazy to go home with one less child.”
Her mother, Raylithia Hooten, told Channel 2 she’s asking for prayers and support in the wake of losing her daughter.
“She was outgoing. She was different. She was something special to me,” she said, all while crying.
DeKalb County firefighters found the girl in the deepest point of the creek — 6 feet underwater. Department spokesman Capt. Dion Bentley told Channel 2 crews searched about 150 feet of the creek bed trying to find her.
They were called to the scene around 4:30 p.m., and it took the dive team about an hour to find her. First responders performed CPR before taking her to an area hospital, where she died Thursday evening.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
“She was so cold,” Jasmine Hooten told the news station. “I guess they thought if they warmed her body up, it would kinda help, but her heart had already stopped.”
Bentley told AJC.com he doesn’t anticipate charges to be filed, but an investigation is ongoing.
“It’s just a tragedy,” he said Thursday night. “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.”
The family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the child's burial. As of Friday evening, it had raised over $2,400.
In other news:
About the Author
