Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter

A few hours before his tragic death, Marcia Blake told her son Omar to come to her stall in Spanish Town. She thought he was on his way to see her and was therefore in disbelief when she received a phone call to say he had drowned.

The 15-year-old of Bell's Heights, Gordon Pen, St Catherine had reportedly gone to the nearby Rio Cobre for a bath. His body was fished from the river the following day.

Almost two weeks after his death, and just a few days before his funeral, his family is still in shock. His father Devon Blake, told THE STAR, "Words can't explain. I am in shock, disbelief, everything. I'm not coming to terms with this, it was so sudden, but I'm trying to cope. I'm trying to take it day by day, but I'm just re-living the events over and over. I've never had a loss like this before." Blake said he was at work with another of his sons when they received the call.

His mother, obviously distraught and overwhelmed, could not say much. She however managed to tell THE STAR, "I was selling in the town and I got a call seh 'im drown. I was shocked. It's not easy but mi haffi cope. Before he died, I called him and tell him fi come help 'im father. I thought him was on him way coming, that's when I get di news."

Both parents described Omar as an industrious young man who was always willing to help. His father said, "He wasn't a lazy boy. He used to raise chickens and all dat. He was very fun- loving and had a bright future ahead of him. He was just two months shy of his 16th birthday."

Blake said his son was a typical teenager and admitted that he had been warned to stay away from the river. A family friend who also spoke highly of the youngster told THE STAR that he went to a nearby shop to purchase juice before leaving for the river and was also warned by the shopkeeper.

Kemar Blake, Omar's 19-year-old brother, told THE STAR. "'Im go di river wid some likkle bwoy, but it look like rain did fall up inna di county part, so di river did come dung. 'Im mussi seh 'im did a bathe, but 'im can't swim. Dem seh 'im go inna one deep part and couldn't manage, so 'im go dung." He said the other boys were younger than Omar and so could offer no assistance. They instead went to seek help.

Omar's younger siblings may not fully understand the reality, but according to their older brother, they are aware that their brother is no longer with them.