WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. — The body of a 38-year-old man who jumped in the Neuse River to try to save his son has been found, according to Wayne County officials.
Sterling Holman and his 5-year-old son, Braylin, were out fishing at the Goldsboro Boating Access Area off Highway 117 around 8 p.m. on March 24. Witnesses said Braylin fell off the dock into the river and his father immediately jumped in to save him.
On Monday, Wayne County officials said the boy’s body had been found.
A witness on the bank who saw the boy fall into the river called 911, and a boater in the river tried to grab hold of the father and son but was unable to get them.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office released the 911 audio from that witness on the bank of the river.
”The baby fell in the water and his daddy jumped in after him,” the caller told a dispatcher. “The current pushed the baby away. 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.”
Wayne County search crews arrived shortly thereafter and began searching by boat and helicopter but darkness and fog forced officials to suspend the search before the boy or his father were found.
Search teams had been back in the water looking for the pair ever since.
”It’s definitely a tough situation. Our hearts are out with the family, of course, they’re going through a lot right now. But also the witnesses that were out here. It is a tough scene,” said Joel Gillie, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Braylin Holman’s mother.
Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.
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