Tonight, the Village of Billy White in the Cayo District is mourning the death of 28-year-old David Klassen. That's after he drowned in the river near his village while trying to save a female child who was in danger.
Yesterday afternoon, Klassen ran to the home of fellow villager Miguel Tzul, to tell him that a little girl was in danger of drowning in the river.
They ran to where the child was, but Klassen reached the river bank first. He immediately dove in and began swimming toward the female who was hanging on to the branch of a tree. Reports are that he almost arrived at where she was, but then, he suddenly went under the water and did not resurface.
Other first responders were able to rescue the child, but Klassen couldn't be found. After an extended search, his body was finally located this afternoon - 24 hours after he had dived in. We'll tell you about that, but first, we start with an interview with the girl whose life he helped to save. Here's what she told our colleagues from Plus TV News:
Jessica Lucer, Almost Drowned
"We were playing and swimming and then I was playing with him and then I closed my eyes and when I saw I was gone in the river. He couldn't help me because he was going to and then I was shouting and I told my mom that David heard when I was shouting and he came and told my mom what was happening. David went into the river swimming. He came out of the water and when we see he was not in the water. He went down. My father came and took me out of the tree and we came out of the river."
Reporter
"What was going through your mind?"
Jessica Lucer, Almost Drowned
"I just glad that I have my family and that I didn't want to die and that's why I was shouting and crying because I felt sad. When I saw my mom, I started to cry and I wanted to come out of the river, but I couldn't."
So while young Jessica's life was spared due to Klassen's concern and quick thinking, he ended up sacrificing his own life to rescue her. Our colleagues from Plus also spoke with his distressed wife, who suddenly finds herself grieving his sudden death. Here's what she had to say:
Kelly Klassen, Wide of Deceased
"I was celebrating my son's birthday, when I received a call and they told me that my husband had drowned. I couldn't believe that my husband was gone, but then I called his dad and I ask if it was true that my husband is not here with me anymore and he said yes that David drowned, so I couldn't believe it. I hope God gives me the strength to go on me and my kids, because I love him so much and he took a part of me and I pray to God that this pain will soon be over, because I don't know if I will make it without him, I use to love him so much."
At a police press briefing this evening, Police spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent Fitzroy Yearwood, told us that police and the search parties managed to retrieve Klassen's body from the river behind Billy White Village. Here are those comments:
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood
"We know that we have a search party looking for him. At 1:30, the body of David Klassen was recovered from the river in Billy White Village, I have confirmed. Like I said I do not know the full story surrounding the young lady that he went to rescue initially, but the investigation in this one will be continuing because there is a lot of loose ends that we need to tie up, so that we can bring an accurate story to you."
Reporter
"Presumably, someone saw Mr. Klassen go under the water, yes?"
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood
"Yes."
Reporter
"Did that person independently see this girl hanging from a branch? Is there independent corroboration on that?"
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood
"Initially when speaking to that person, investigators did say that he saw Klassen swimming towards this little girl, but like I said after Klassen went under, the focus of the entire story made a shift towards him, because he actually went under."
Klassen's family says that he was fishing at the river yesterday when he realized that the girl was in danger of drowning. That's when he took off to go get help.
