MERRY HILL, N.C. — A mother trying to save her 14-year-old son from drowning also drowned at Bertie Beach on Tuesday afternoon, according to Bertie County Sheriff's Office.
Around 5:41 p.m., first responders received a report that someone was drowning.
At the scene, crews were notified that it was a mother and son caught in the water. An 11-year-old girl was rescued, and the bodies of 35-year-old Shaunna Jernigan and 14-year-old Timothy Jernigan were pulled onto shore, according to BCSO.
BCSO says crews attempted to perform life-saving measures on the mother and son, but neither made it.
The 11-year-old girl told authorities that before the incident, she and her mother were on an inflatable floater while her brother was swimming. When her brother became distressed because he could no longer touch the bottom, Shaunna went to rescue him, but then started to drown as well.
