Tesha De Courte, the mother of two children who tragically drowned during Phagwah celebrations, is speaking out against claims of neglect in the wake of their deaths, emphasizing her deep hurt by public commentary.
In an emotional interview with the News Room, De Courte asserted, “I just lost two children, and the neighborhood can testify I am not a mother that does neglect my children.”
According to her account, the celebration of Phagwah is a cherished annual tradition for her family. On the day of the incident, relatives were gathered at the children’s grandmother’s house nearby. De Courte explained that her son, Jadon, had requested to go to his cousin’s house to play, while his twin sister, Tianna, and other cousins remained engaged in Phagwah activities.
After feeling cold, the girls returned home to change their clothes before heading back to their grandmother’s house. Unbeknownst to the adults, the children later moved toward a nearby playground.
Describing the tragic events, De Courte said, “Tianna went to fill water and slipped into a trench behind a pump station.” Jadon, seeing his sister in trouble, jumped in to help her but ultimately drowned as well.
“Tianna had a water gun we bought for them. They were playing in a pool of water, and when it dried up, she went to draw water. Jadon saw her struggling and jumped in without a second thought,” she recounted.
At that moment, Tianna clung to Jadon while their cousins and Tianna’s twin sister attempted to pull them out. The other children ran to alert the adults at the grandmother’s house, and several attempts were made to rescue the pair but to no avail.
“Their uncle went down to the water but had to resurface for air because it was too deep. Eventually, someone else managed to bring up my daughter, but my son was also lost,” she said.
Emergency Medical Technicians were called, but the children were pronounced dead at the scene.
As speculation continues to swirl, De Courte is pleading with the public to refrain from spreading what she calls false narratives about her parenting. “I cannot understand why the public is spreading things they do not know. People need to desist from spreading rumors,” she urged.
She further emphasized that her children had a routine and were not accustomed to wandering far from home. “My children know three places: home, their grandmother’s, and playing with their cousins. If they were bored, they would come home or head to the ballfield nearby,” De Courte explained.
Now mourning the loss of two of her seven children, she recalls the last moments she shared with them vividly — buying Tianna a snack she requested and spending the night beside Jadon before he woke up that fateful morning.
Investigations are ongoing, and post-mortem examinations are expected to be conducted soon.
