They talked about their daughter, who passed away at the age of seven while excavating a hole on a Florida beach.

Weeks after their daughter passed away due to being caught in a breached sand hole at the beach, Sloan Mattingly’s parents are speaking out.
Tragic events occurred on February 20 as T. Swift, her family, and her 7-year-old lover were visiting Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach. According to Jason and Therese Mattingly, Sloan and her brother were searching the beach for seashells when all of a sudden a hole opened, burying the two kids alive.

Telling Good Morning America that they were present when the catastrophe occurred, Jason and Therese dug straight in to save their children’s lives.

About that instant, Jason remarked, “It was kind of a blur.” That could just my mind shielding me, but everything occurred so quickly. “The sand was too heavy, even though I felt like I had her in my arms.”

Therese also mentioned how swiftly everything transpired. It made no difference that we were correct there. Just a hole, and then nothing at all. It’s all mayhem and terror after that.

The children were buried many feet below the sand’s surface before rescue could reach them. Maddix, their son, was the first casualty. Sloan came next.

According to GMA, Sloan was buried for around fifteen minutes prior to her discovery. However, for Jason and Therese, time stood still.

After being sent to a local hospital because Sloan wasn’t responding, she passed away there. Jason thanked the first responders, medical personnel, and other beachgoers for their hard work that day and stated, “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in our favor.”

Therese apologized profusely to everyone else on the beach that day. “You witnessed how awful it was.”

Therese now hopes that by sharing Sloan’s tragic experience, other families will become aware of the other, less evident hazards associated with beachgoing.

“You think about staying safe in the water when you go to the beach, but I never thought about this.” And now that I see it, it seems obvious, which is why it irritates me so much.

It is hoped that Sloan’s story would prompt additional seaside communities to post signs alerting residents to the potential hazards posed by sinkholes. Additionally, he urges, “Strangers, show courage and tell someone if you see something dangerous.”

Sand pits should be “no deeper than the knee of the shortest person digging the hole,” according to People magazine.

Our condolences and prayers are with the Mattingly family during this extremely difficult time.