There is truly nothing as heartbreaking as a young death. This family experienced incredible heartbreak when a small mistake led them to pay a big price. Keep reading to learn more about this heartbreaking tragedy.
Twin toddlers, a boy and a girl who are 18 months old, tragically drowned in their family’s pool at home after their great-grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s, seemingly left the door open.
The family lives in Oklahoma City, and it was there that mom Jenny Callazzo discovered her 18-month-old twins, Locklyn and Loreli, at the bottom of a cloudy pool on their property.
When their mother found them, both twins were not breathing. Sadly, two hours later, both toddlers were declared dead. Callazzo is a stay-at-home mom who also runs a boutique.
She lives in a $565,000 house where her kids drowned along with other family members. Her family consists of her grandmother, her six kids, and her husband Sonny. Sonny is 42 years old and works as a marketing executive.
A relative told the news that Callazzo’s grandmother has dementia and accidentally left the back door of the house open. The twin toddlers noticed the open door and went outside without anyone seeing them.
The police are looking into the situation but don’t think there was any wrongdoing in these sad young deaths.
Local news that took pictures from the air of the house found a dirty pool filled with green algae where the twins are believed to have drowned. Just a few days before this awful event, 37-year-old Callazzo shared a photo of her toddlers outside with the caption “just want to play outside.”
Neighbors remember the scary moment they saw the sad mother in the back of an EMS vehicle while emergency workers tried to save her kids.
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist the family with costs related to medical bills and funeral expenses.
“These lovely kids were taken from us way too early. Any help you can provide for the expenses would mean a lot. We are thankful for everyone’s love and support,” the GoFundMe page description stated.
Laura Gamino, who works in injury prevention for trauma at OU Health, expressed her hope that parents understand how risky water can be for little kids.
“Anything can happen in a split second,” she cautioned.
“Kids are really drawn to water, and little ones don’t know how to save themselves if they get in trouble… Drowning happens really fast, and it’s super quiet,” she cautioned.
“People often think that if a child is in danger in the water, they will be yelling for help, but that’s not true because their mouths are filled with water. It’s so quiet, and that’s one of the scariest parts about it.”
Gamino encourages parents and caregivers to put up fences that are at least 4 feet tall around their pools, with a gate that young kids can’t open.
This is such a sad story. Our hearts go out to the family as they face this huge loss. Please join us in praying for them during this tough time.