A beautiful bonding moment between a father and son turned into a catastrophe. Even sadder is that it was all caught on camera.
On March 22, Danny Sumner took his 6-year-old son, Donovan, on a fishing trip at a river in the Virginia area. However, after hours of not returning, Danny’s wife, Madeline, enlisted close family members and her pastor to help search for the duo. When they had no luck, she called the police.
According to the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, when authorities arrived, the only thing they could find was Danny’s car and cellphone. This resulted, in the local dive team searching the river. Shortly after their search began, they discovered the body of Danny and his son Donovan.
On the cell phone that was left, they found a video that captured Danny celebrating his son catching a fish. But when Donovan took a few steps back, he fell into the river. Danny abandoned his phone and jumped into the water to save his son. Unfortunately, neither of them came back up and they both drowned.
There is no evidence of foul play, according to the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office.
Since the tragic death, people have rallied around Madeline, a mother and wife, who lost her husband and son in the same moment.
A GoFundMe created to support the family describes Danny as “a loving son, brother, husband, father, friend, teammate, and educator to those who knew him. Danny was known in his community for being the guy to help without being asked. A devout Christian, he exemplified how to live a Godly lifestyle no matter the setting.”
The post continued, “Don was a kind and gentle spirit who loved playing with his baby brother Danilo, neighborhood friends, and just recently accomplished riding his bike without training wheels.”