BENTONVILLE, Arkansas — The Bentonville community mourns the loss of an 11-year-old boy after he drowned in Monday's storms.
5NEWS reached out to the mother of Alexander "Cade" Law who understandably said she was not ready to speak about him yet.
Cade's Aunt, Noelle Halterman, reached out and gave us a statement for the family on who Cade was and what happened in his final moments.
"It is with grieving hearts that we want to thank all of the first responders, and entire community for their support following the loss of our beloved Alexander "Cade" Law. The accident that occurred on Monday, August 29th is unimaginable and has devastated our family.
Cade was incredibly special, a fighter from the very beginning. Born an identical twin in Johnson, AR, he had recently celebrated his 11th birthday. In his short life, Cade had to endure two brain surgeries and years of treatment. Yet he had such a positive outlook and funny sense of humor. Cade always loved a good joke, especially if it was one that he made up on his own. He impatiently waited to reach the height line so that he could ride roller coasters. He loved the ocean, boogie boarding, and jumping in the waves.
He loved collecting Pokeman cards, playing Fortnight, going to Camp War Eagle, roller skating, or doing the floss in a fun family dance party. Monday began like any other day and with the exciting prospect of rain, playing in it with his mom, brother, friend and another parent, was just a fun, harmless activity. Armed with paper boats they made, and sticks to push them in the water, they ran to an area where they had played countless times before. As the boats traveled down the field, the boys noticed a tiny whirlpool near the end, and as Cade reached over to grab his wood stick, he was pulled into the storm drain.
A mom who was near the boys saw what occurred and her immediate, instinctual response was to grab Cade and pull him out of the storm drain. Her selfless act to try and save Cade's life is etched in our heart's forever. There will never be enough words to express our gratitude and appreciation. Cade's twin brother ran to the house, retrieved his cell phone and bravely called 911. We want to thank the Bentonville first responders. Their response is a testament to their commitment to keep our community safe, and they put their lives at risk to bring Cade home to be with his family.
We have no words, but will never forget you, your actions, and will always hold you close to our hearts. This tragedy is absolutely unimaginable and has left us heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Cade. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time as our family comes together to understand this inexplicable accident. We thank the community for their outpouring of love and support. We will lean on that support in the next days, weeks, and years to come."
In a Facebook post, Mom Chrissy Law says that Cade, his identical twin Chandler and a friend were racing paper boats in the pond during Monday's rainfall. The water was only ankle deep at the time and rising but gave no concern to the two adults present.
They, however, weren't aware of the drains at the end of the field that the boys approached. As they threw woodchips into the small whirlpool, cade reached in and was sucked in by the water. His twin Chandler held on but unfortunately, the water was too strong. Without hesitation, the friend's mom jumped in to try and save Cade, eventually being taken by the water herself.
According to Bentonville Fire, they found the friend's mom about 20 yards away from the pond after 13 minutes of an initial emergency call. For Cade, they say it was 23 minutes before they found him 500 yards away, passing away eventually at the hospital. Cade's family says that she is currently on life support fighting for her life.
According to the family, Cade was starting 5th grade at Ruth Barker Middle School in Bentonville. The District released a statement saying:
"We're heartbroken for the two families devastated by Monday evening's tragedy. Cade was a beautiful child with the most tender smile. He's profoundly missed by his teachers and classmates. Hold these families tight in your prayers."
The family says Cade survived two brain surgeries yet approached every day like he was waking up to his own personal adventure.