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Father Drowns While Trying To Save Daughter
posted (April 21, 2015)
A father of 5 drowned this weekend in Gracie Rock trying to save his 19 year old stepdaughter. On Sunday, 27 year old Jamel Erin Canto went to swim in the Sibun River with his stepdaughter and stepson along with a large group of teenagers. After swimming for a while, Canto noticed that his stepdaughter was struggling in the water. He swam over to help her and she was pulled out by a friend but Canto didn't resurface. When they finally found his body, desperate but futile attempts were made to resuscitate him. We spoke with Canto's common law wife of 11 years today and she told us she found out about his death around 5, just minutes after it happened.

Denise, common-law-wife of Jamel Erin Canto
"On Sunday morning we got up and the day was hot, and he says that he is going to swim (he is not someone that usually goes swimming). So I told him that if he goes swimming, then what will happen to mama? He says that he will take mama. I ask him if he will take mama with him and he says no, because mama will throw me off from enjoying myself. I didn't have any argument with him, I just left him that day and he went and about 3-4, they call and told me that something happened to Jamel. I ask what happen to Jamel, they say that they didn't know and they think that he drowned. While I was trying to find out if it was true, by the time I came out here and ran out there, they told me that Jamel is dead. I ask how did Jamel die. and they say that he drowned. They told me that 6 of them almost drowned. They told me that Jamel was trying to save this girl, which was my daughter. The people from up there told me that the young man head was under the water and he was there long while bubbling and suddenly they saw that hands looked like it got weak, because he continued holding up the young lady. He let go the young lady and the young lady went down the water and float back up and so and man from there came and grab the little girl and put her in a dorey. They say that the young lady told them that her stepfather is down there and the same man who helped her - is the young man who dive down there and went to see and came up and told the people from the village that yes it was true that a young man is down there."

They family did not frequently go swimming. Canto knew how to swim but his stepdaughter didn't.

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