A 10-year-old boy had to give up his own life to save his 5-year-old sister in Sioux Falls. She was in danger of drowning in the Big Sioux River during the weekend, as The Blaze reports.
How did it all happen?
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office sent out a public alert on Saturday evening about “a large-scale rescue operation” that was going on at the river to search for a 10-year-old boy. A few hours later, the authorities announced that a dive team had found young Ricky Lee Sneve.
Ricky's mother, Nicole Eufers, said for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader that her son was on the river with his father when “a couple of the siblings fell in the water. Dad jumped in for two of them, and Ricky jumped in to save his sister, Chevelle.”
The little boy managed to get Chevelle to the shore, but when his father and the rest of the kids turned around to help him, they couldn’t see Ricky anywhere.
“He saved his sister's life and took his own,” the grieving mother told the news outlet.
Ricky was the oldest of the couple’s kids and also had a fifth sibling.
“Ricky Lee was a very intelligent and smart young boy who loved his family and was an adventurous little guy. He'd do anything to help his mom or anyone at that, without ever being asked. Ricky gave his life trying to do what he knew was best,” the little boy’s uncle stated.
The boy’s father, Chad Sneve, said his son was a boy who did anything for anyone. He was smart, dedicated and conservative.
“He was generous, kind and special in more ways than I can begin to explain. He was my everything, and he touched everyone he encountered,” the father added.
“He taught me how to love and appreciate life. He never failed to amaze me,” the little boy’s mother recalled after the tragic incident in Sioux Falls.