‘Hero' mom dies after using last strength to save 4-year-old son from Florida river

A Florida "hero" ma died aft utilizing each her spot to support her 4-year-old lad supra h2o erstwhile helium fell into the St. Johns River, allowing rescuers to propulsion the lad to safety, authorities and her household said.

Nicole Grayson, 43, jumped into the stream aft her young lad fell into the h2o astatine Ed Stone Park, westbound of DeLand, astir 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said the kid had been playing with an unidentified entity adjacent a woody obstruction on the river’s borderline erstwhile helium dropped it implicit the barrier. The lad fell into the stream portion attempting to retrieve it.

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Grayson instantly went successful aft him.

Nicole Grayson drowned aft rescuing her 4-year-old lad from the St. Johns River successful Central Florida. (GoFundMe)

"My conjecture is helium was trying to get it. He slipped successful the water, deep, helium slipped distant successful the water," Grayson’s oldest son, Dafino Devega, told FOX 35. "And past my mom, I conjecture she panicked, and she went successful the h2o and tried to prevention him."

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As Grayson struggled to support her lad supra the surface, a witnesser astatine the parkland flagged down a passing boater, who threw 2 beingness preservers toward the parent and child, the sheriff’s bureau said.

Grayson yet became submerged portion continuing to clasp her lad supra the water.

A frantic 911 caller told dispatchers that rescuers had managed to scope the kid but were inactive struggling to retrieve his mother.

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"Hey 911, tin you travel to Ed Stone Park?" the caller said successful audio obtained by FOX 35. "We person a parent that’s drowned, and we got the baby, but we can’t get the mama."

A memorial of daisies is placed adjacent a obstruction wherever Volusia sheriff's deputies said a 4-year-old fell implicit into the St. Johns River connected July 18. The child's parent drowned aft she jumped successful to prevention her son, according to deputies. (Patricio G. Balona / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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The boater maneuvered adjacent capable to propulsion the 4-year-old aboard. The lad was unharmed, according to authorities.

Witness Jon Reaka said Grayson appeared to expend each her vigor ensuring her lad survived.

"She spent each her vigor trying to get her kid up implicit the edge," Reaka told FOX 35.

Reaka jumped implicit a railing and onto the boat, wherever helium helped propulsion Grayson from the river. She was unresponsive erstwhile she was brought aboard.

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"I jumped implicit the rail, jumped onto the vessel and pulled the woman up onto the vessel and, you know, we started CPR — I started CPR and mouth-to-mouth immediately," Reaka said.

Emergency aesculapian unit took implicit lifesaving measures aft arriving astatine the park. Grayson was rushed to a hospital, wherever efforts to revive her continued for respective hours.

She died successful the intensive attraction portion astir 10 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s bureau said.

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"I tried everything I could bash to prevention her," Reaka told FOX 35. "You know, I consciousness horrible. I mean, it’s truthful bittersweet what happened."

Grayson was a parent of six whose last enactment reflected the fiercely protective mode she had lived, her household said.

"That’s the benignant of ma that she was; she was a hero," Devega said.

"My mom, she was a beardown woman," helium added. "She would bash thing to support her kids safe."

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Nicole Grayson was a 43-year-old Florida parent of six who died aft jumping into the St. Johns River to prevention her 4-year-old son. (GoFundMe)

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Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood praised the witnesses and boater who rushed to assistance Grayson and her son.

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"Sheriff Chitwood and the full Volusia Sheriff's Office nonstop sincere acknowledgment each who jumped successful to assistance with the rescue, and deepest condolences to Ms. Grayson's household and friends for their nonaccomplishment of a parent who gave her beingness to prevention her son," the section said successful a statement.

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Chitwood said Grayson would beryllium remembered arsenic a hero, "not conscionable due to the fact that of her last heroic act, but due to the fact that she was a ma who would bash thing for her kids."