WEST KNOX COUNTY, TN (RNN) – A Tennessee family is mourning their two young children, who died after their babysitter found them unresponsive in the deep end of a swimming pool.
Family friend Jennifer Stewart identified the twins to the Knoxville News Sentinel by their first names – Elyssa and Elijah.
They would have turned 2 years old in August, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
"Elyssa was definitely the boss, and Eli was definitely her follower," Stewart said.
The little boy died Sunday afternoon after spending two days on life support at a children’s hospital.
His sister died at the hospital Friday after the two were pulled out of a swimming pool at a Knoxville, TN, home, where deputies say they were staying with a babysitter.
However, the Sentinel reports the home was registered as an in-home daycare, with reviews posted as recently as June 3 on a website that helps parents find childcare services.
The home was not a licensed daycare facility, so anyone caring for children there would not have been allowed to care for more than four at one time, according to the Sentinel.
The woman, whom deputies identified as the children’s babysitter, said she began searching for the twins after another child arrived at the home around 10 a.m. Friday.
She found them unresponsive in the deep end of the pool.
Family and friends of the toddlers said they hope this tragedy won’t happen to anyone else, according to WBIR.
"I would really like something for this to stop, whether that be me becoming a lifeguard or just the community teaching kids at a young age to learn how to swim," said the twins’ older brother, Marquette Hayes.
The family is asking for prayers.
A GoFundMe page set up by family friends has raised more than $14,000, which may be applied to funeral costs and medical bills.
The sheriff’s department and the Department of Children’s Services are investigating.
Deputies have not officially confirmed the children’s identities.
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