Aamina Bradley, 14, drowned in the Detroit River on Saturday while attempting to save her nine-year-old cousin. The incident occurred at Maheras-Gentry Park in Detroit, according to local reports. Her father, Glenn Bradley, 38, described the event as "devastating" and shared his daughter's final words.
The family had gathered at the park to celebrate a graduation when Aamina's younger cousin fell into the water. The teenage girl immediately jumped in to rescue her, but struggled against the river's current. Bystanders were able to pull the nine-year-old cousin from the water, but Aamina could not make it back to shore. "Her last words were 'dad help me,' she looked at me. When I went out there, she disappeared, she went under and never came back up," Glenn Bradley told WXYZ.
Emergency services searched the river for hours before recovering Aamina's body. "Somebody had to save me because I was drowning," Bradley recounted his daughter saying.
Glenn Bradley described his daughter as "my baby girl, she was my everything." He shared that Aamina, who had two brothers, loved the water and often swam. "I'd take her to the pool, she would swim, different things like that, they'd play games...just in the river, in that type of setting, in that current, it pulls you out," he said.
Her step-mother recalled Aamina as "so full of life, loving, caring" and "funny." Her father also mentioned that Aamina had dreams of becoming a scientist.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield issued a statement offering condolences to the family. "A young girl lost her life in the water at Meharas-Gentry Park. There are no words adequate to ease the grief her family is carrying today," Sheffield said. "No family should ever have to endure the loss of a child. The city sends our heartfelt condolences to the family."