The bodies of two teenage stepbrothers were found holding onto one another in the water after they both drowned at a popular local swimming spot in Maine.
The pair appeared to have got into difficulties after jumping off rocks positioned on a 30 foot high cliff.
Tavayne Weir, a student at Sanford High School, and his stepbrother, D’andre Graham, aged 17 and 16 respectively, had told their parents they were going to the Springvale Recreation Area on Sunday night.
When the pair missed their 10pm curfew, their concerned parents called the police.
Law enforcement found the duos car in the parking lot but there were no signs of the teens in the darkness.
Tavayne Weir, 17, left, a student at Sanford High School, and his stepbrother, D’andre Graham, 16, right, both died after drowning in the Mousam River in Maine
It’s believed the pair jumped off a 30 foot cliff and into the river at the popular bathing spot
The fire department were called to assist with search and managed to floodlight the scene, which includes designated swimming areas and trails on both sides of the Mousam River.
Both Tavayne and D’andre were found underwater after an hour-and-a-half of searching in the river – but both had died.
‘Using flashlights and high intensity lights, they were able locate them below the water,’ said Major Matthew Gagne of the Sanford Police Department to WMTW.
The bodies were found just a quarter-mile from 30 foot high cliff that’s popular with swimmers jumping into the river.
‘We don’t know if they were jumping or just swimming because we don’t know exactly what time they went in. We assume they were probably by themselves as well because we had no calls from that area that anybody was in distress or actively drowning,’ Gagne explained.
A roped-off swimming area is close by but the rock and cliffs prove tempting for teens
Within hours of the teens’ deaths, people were seen climbing up the rocks once again
A GoFundMe page explained how the boys bodies were found together.
‘They showed incredible courage and loyalty, holding on to each other until the very end, demonstrating the deep bond they shared.’
During the day, the roped-off swimming area has lifeguards but directly across from the supervised area are the rocks where people are often seen climbing up, before splashing down into the water below.
It’s not known exactly what the boys were doing which led them to get into difficulties.
On Monday, only hours after the boys’ death, thrill-seekers were once again seen jumping into the river.
The boys’ bodies were taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta, Maine, where autopsies will be performed to determine exactly how they died.
In a letter home to parents at the school the pair attended, Matt Nelson, Sanford Superintendent of Schools expressed ‘profound sadness’ the drownings.
The rocks sit 30ft above the Mousam River and often see daredevil swimmers making a splash
‘Our sincere condolences and thoughts go out to the student’s family and friends,’ Nelson wrote.
‘We are saddened by the loss to our school community and will make every effort to help you and your child as you need.’
‘Tavayne and D’andre always considered each other brothers, and when their parents Kerryan and Morris got married last year, it made their brother bond official,’ a tribute to the brothers read.
‘They were more than stepbrothers; they were true brothers to each other. Growing up in Jamaica, they did everything together, from playing basketball and riding bikes to gaming.’
Tavayne and his mother, Kerryann, had only recently moved to Maine ‘in search of a better future’, while D’andre had been visiting the area with his dad, Morris, for the summer, with an eye to making a permanent move to Maine later this year.