Three young brothers died after falling through ice on a pond in rural Texas during a winter storm that swept through the region last week, a devastating tragedy that has shaken the small community of Bonham.
The boys, identified as 6-year-old Howard, 8-year-old Kaleb, and 9-year-old EJ, were playing near the freezing pond when Howard fell through the ice. His older brothers jumped in attempting to save him, authorities said.
Their mother, identified only as Hangaman in local reports, described the harrowing moments when she tried to rescue her sons from the icy waters about 60 miles northeast of Dallas.
“I started running toward the pond and I jumped in. I tried to save them while also trying to keep myself alive,” Hangaman told Fox 4 News. “As soon as I jumped in, I locked up. I couldn’t do anything.”
The raw pain in her voice was evident as she recounted the impossible choice no parent should face. “It was one of me and three of them, and they all needed me at one time. I just couldn’t… I couldn’t save them,” she said.
Community Response
First responders and a neighbor managed to pull the two older boys from the water. Despite receiving immediate medical attention and being transported to a hospital, all three children ultimately succumbed to their injuries.
How does a community begin to process such an unimaginable loss? In Fannin County, the answer has been to come together.
Bonham Independent School District, where the boys were students, is providing counseling services to classmates and staff struggling to cope with the tragedy. Superintendent Dr. Lance Hamlin expressed the collective grief felt throughout the district.
“We are devastated by this unimaginable loss, and our thoughts are with the family, friends, and all who knew and loved these children,” Hamlin stated in a message to the school community.
The deaths of the three brothers are among at least 35 fatalities attributed to the winter storm that brought unusually cold temperatures and icy conditions to parts of Texas and other southern states unprepared for such extreme weather.
For residents of Bonham, a town of about 10,000 people, the statistics matter less than the three empty desks that will greet classmates when they return to school — a stark reminder of how quickly ordinary childhood play can turn tragic when severe weather strikes.
