A North Carolina father and son set out for a fishing trip but had no idea that neither of them would make it back home. Witnesses say that Braylin Holman, 5, accidentally fell off a Goldsboro river dock, and his dad, Sterling Holman, 38, immediately jumped after, hoping to save his son. Unfortunately, the two wouldn’t be seen alive again.
“The current pushed the baby away,” a witness told the 911 dispatcher. “The daddy jumped in the water behind him and our buddy was coming back with the boat to load our boat up and he went to go get him.”
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A boater floated over to the Neuse River area after 911 was called, according to KABC, but wasn’t able to locate them. A search crew was soon underway for the missing pair, with family members and local authorities helping out in the effort. Though the water didn’t appear to be threatening, currents were actually moving at three to four miles an hour, making surviving even more difficult.
According to WCNC, a North Carolina news outlet, the father and son pair went missing on Wednesday, March 24, at night. A search crew, including K-9s and a dive team, went on for several days until Monday afternoon when Braylin’s body was found. Sterling, 38, was found two days later, concluding the weeklong search in the most horrific way.
JUST IN: Wayne County spokesperson says they’ve found the body of a 38 year old Sterling Holman, who jumped in the Neuse River last week to try to save his son, who had fallen in. The son’s body was found a few days ago. @WNCN pic.twitter.com/V1MfQgxSkX
— Joseph Holloway (@jhollowaynews) March 31, 2021
Rasheda Bryant, a relative of the Holmans, described Braylin and Sterling as “full of joy,” and spoke about their love for fishing. She told WRAL, “They just bought some new fishing poles, the little boy would get excited about coming out here fishing with his dad and spending time with him like that, so this is tragic.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Sterling’s wife and Braylin’s mother. They currently have $12.5K raised of their $50K goal.
