Three young brothers have died in Bonham, north Texas, after falling through ice on a private pond while playing outside on Monday, January 26, 2027.
According to BBC report, their mother, Cheyenne Hangaman, said she tried desperately to rescue the boys by pulling them out of the freezing water and placing them on the ice, but the surface kept breaking beneath them.
“There was three of them and only one of me… that’s why I couldn’t save them,” she told CBS News.
Hangaman, who is a mother of six, said she first became aware of the incident when one of her daughters ran to her shouting that the boys had fallen into the pond, located about 100 feet (30 metres) from the house where the family had been staying.
According to Hangaman, the children had been playing near the water when the youngest boy stepped onto the ice in an attempt to “ice skate” and fell through.
She said the two older boys then jumped in after him.
“When I seen them, they were struggling, and I know their bodies were already in shock,” she said. “The water was freezing cold.”
Hangaman said she had previously warned the boys to stay away from the pond, but rushed in when she realised what had happened.
While attempting to save them, she began to struggle herself and was later pulled out by a neighbour.
The neighbour, identified as a football coach at the school the children attended, reportedly heard her screams and ran to help.
Hangaman said a rope was used to pull her from the water.
In a statement, the local sheriff’s office said the two older boys were recovered first by emergency responders and a neighbour, and were taken to a nearby hospital.
The youngest child was later found after what authorities described as “an extensive search of the pond.”
While officials did not immediately release the boys’ names, family members identified them as Howard Doss (6), Kaleb Doss (8) and EJ Doss (9).
Hangaman described her sons as lively and full of personality, adding that EJ dreamed of becoming a football star, Kaleb enjoyed dancing and singing, while Howard was known for making people laugh.
Their school expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, describing the deaths as an “unimaginable loss” in a letter to families seen by CBS News.
The school said counsellors would be available to support students and staff.
The incident comes as a severe winter storm continues to affect parts of the United States, including Texas, with reports that more than 20 people have died in storm-related incidents and thousands have been left without electricity.
