River nightmare as two brothers drown

When Carol Ivey and her family left their home in Trelawny last Thursday for a fun-filled day by the river in her home town of Skibo, Portland, there was nothing but clear blue skies and joyful laughter from her sons.

But as the hours unfolded, the day of adventure quickly turned into a nightmare when Ivey helplessly witnessed two of her sons, 31-year-old Adriannie Ivey, fondly called 'Andrew', and 21-year-old Tafuta Junior Wiggan, fondly called 'TJ', drown. They were not strangers to swimming in rivers.

"Mi cah believe mi tek mi son dem seh wi gah Portland guh look fi mi family and when mi guh wid mi three son, mi come back wid one. Mi cah believe dat. Mi just cah believe seh dis really happen," said Ivey through tears. Her 11-year-old son, her common-law husband and her brother all witnessed the tragedy.

"I was there sitting down on a stone making myself comfortable, and they were there swimming in the shallow part. Then, when mi look, mi see them a bit further, and when mi look again, mi see them a bit further; and everything just happen so fast," Ivey said. She said TJ first started to make strange sounds and was bobbing.

"Suh him father seh to mi, 'Why him a behave suh?' But true when we were in Cayman and we guh beach, mi see him pull a thing like that already, mi feel seh a play him a play inna di water. But when mi look, mi see mi brother swim guh towards him. Then mi see mi brother tek time come out a di water and him start cry, and mi seh, 'A what happen? Try tek him out a di water nuh,' and him seh, 'Sister, mi cah tek him out, mi weak', and me see him start cry," she said.

"Same time mi feel sumpn shift inna mi belly and when mi look, mi see mi son (Tafuta) come up, den mi see mi big son (Adriannie) guh dung, and mi see the two a dem guh dung and mi run off. But the water was so deep, all mi could a duh was show di man weh mi see dem guh dung," Ivey explained. It was a man from the community who retrieved the lifeless bodies of her sons, despite earlier efforts by her husband and brother.

"When mi look, mi see him come up with the younger one, and mi seh, 'Weh the other one?' and him seh to mi, 'A di two a dem mi have.' Mi nah lie, mi body just weak. Oh God, mi wah stop cry but mi just can't," Ivey said.

"It happen right in front a mi eyes and mi couldn't duh nothing. Mi bredda try, and mi husband try guh in a di water fi save them, but is like the water did a pull dem, suh dem afi leave, and mi couldn't afford fi lose three," Ivey said.

The grieving mother also told THE STAR that Tafuta was only visiting Jamaica and had been living in the Cayman Islands for more than a year with his father. They were set to return on Wednesday.

"I'm not exaggerating because they were mine. Yuh can talk to anybody 'bout them. They're obedient, as big as they are. Yuh know how some pickney disrespectful to parents? I never have that. I'm not working currently and whenever the bill come, Andrew call mi and seh, 'Mums, the light bill come yet? How much fi di bill?' And that tek care of. TJ him always come trouble mi, call mi 'sweet dumpling', always seh to mi 'Sweet dumpling mi love yuh, yuh si.' That's him. Dem nuh disrespectful, dem nuh gi trouble," said Ivey.

"Every second mi cry, mi just cah hold up, God know. But true mi have pressure, mi afi a try fi stay strong for the two that I have leave, especially the 11-year-old, because every minute him cry, and him nah handle it well," Ivey said.