The mother of the two children who tragically drowned during Phagwah celebrations at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara on Tuesday is pushing back against claims of neglect and has detailed her recount of what unfolded on the day of the tragedy.
In an emotional interview with the News Room, Tesha De Courte said she is deeply hurt by public commentary suggesting she left her children without proper supervision.
“I just lost two children and the neighbourhood can testify I am not a mother that does neglect my children,” she said.
According to De Courte, celebrating Phagwah with the children and the extended family is an annual tradition. On the morning of the incident, she said relatives had gathered at the children’s grandmother’s house, which is situated close by.
“Everyone was there playing Phagwah,” Tesha said.
She recounted that her son, Jadon, had asked to go to his cousin’s house nearby to play. Afterwards, she said Tianna, her twin sister and other cousins were still playing Phagwah.
After feeling cold, the girls went home to change their clothes before heading back to their grandmother’s house.
When they saw Jadon at his cousin’s home, they also asked to go over.
De Courte said no one realised when the children later moved toward a nearby playground.
Describing what she believes happened, she said Tianna went to fill water and slipped into a trench behind a pump station.
Jadon jumped behind her to render assistance but he too drowned.
“Tianna had a water gun which we bought for them, so like they were playing in a pool of water in the ground and the water finish… is children, no safety measure is there to prevent them from going there. So like Tianna went there to put her gun to draw some water and she slip.
“Jadon saw her fighting and he took off his clothes and jumped in the trench to save her,” Tesha explained to the News Room.
She explained that Tianna held onto Jadon while their cousins and Tianna’s twin sister tried to help pull them out.
The other children then ran to alert the adults gathered at the grandmother’s home. Several persons attempted rescue efforts but were unsuccessful.
“Their uncle went down to the water, he had to jump up back to catch his breathe because it was too deep. Somebody else go, when they go they bought up my daughter then they bought up my son,” she said.
Emergency Medical Technicians were summoned, but the children were pronounced dead.
As speculation continues, De Courte is pleading with the public to stop spreading what she says are false narratives about her parenting.
“I cannot understand why is it the public is going with thing, which they did not know. People desist from spreading rumours,” she said.
She emphasised that her children had a routine and were not accustomed to roaming far.
“My children go three places, when they leave school, they come home, they go by they grandmother, they play with their cousin… If they fed up they come and play in the yard or they go by my cousin… they go into the ballfield and they play, that’s a regular thing,” Tesha further related.
Now mourning the loss of two of her seven children, De Courte said her final moments with them remain vivid — buying Tianna a snack she had asked for and sleeping beside Jadon before he woke up that morning.
Investigations are ongoing and post-mortem examinations are expected to be conducted soon.
The post ‘Not a mother that neglects my children’ – Mother of drowned siblings appeared first on News Room Guyana.
