The holiday weekend ended with heartbreak for a Pasco County family. Jacob Sayers drowned in the Weeki Wachee River. Investigators thought he jumped from a bridge, but now they're saying that's not what happened.
- Jacob Sayers, 16, drowned Monday while at Rogers Park
- He played football and wrestled for Gulf High
- Also involved with ROTC
- Mother said he was "going places"
As Sarah Mallett, Jacob's mother, spoke to us, she held her son's football jersey close.
“I have three other kids,” she said. “I have to try to move on and I don't know how.”
The 10th grader was a football player and wrestler at Gulf High School in New Port Richey. He was also part of the school's Navy ROTC program. His mom says he was going places, but now he's gone.
“I’m in shock,” she said. “I’m in pain and I keep thinking I will wake up and he will be standing there asking me what's for breakfast."
Jacob and his family spent Monday on the Weeki Wachee River in Hernando County. Mallett says Jacob swam out into the river after a beach ball and got into trouble. His aunt saw it all happen.
“I started screaming please help my nephew, please get him out of the water,” said Rebekah Collins.
Jacob went under and never came up. His body was later found down river. He was pronounced dead by physicians at Oak Hill Regional Hospital.
“I couldn't get to him,” said Collins, tearful. “I couldn't help him. I couldn't get him out. I couldn't do anything."
At first investigators thought Jacob jumped off a bridge into the water below, and never surfaced -- but they say that's not what happened.
“I just can't believe he is not here anymore,” his mother said.
For anyone wishing to help Jacob Sayers family, friends and family have created a GoFundMe.com account to help with funeral costs.
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