INTERLACHEN, Fla. – Dylan Brown’s mother said her son was no stranger to the water.
Erica May, the boy’s mom, said she had briefly left the 5-year-old with his grandfather and that when she came back he was gone. Deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office later found his body while searching Ida Lake.
The Sheriff’s Office calls it a tragic accident.
Batman is the nickname that family members called Dylan, a boy who loved the fictional superhero. He was full of energy.
“He was 90 to nothing, just constantly going,” said Margaret Sapp, the boy’s grandmother. “Didn’t meet anybody that he didn’t love.”
On Saturday, deputies said Dylan drowned while swimming near a boat ramp. May said he was found near a hole that was seven to eight feet deep in the water.
“We went there many times, and he even swam around that hole many times. We kept him away from it because he knows it’s dangerous," May said.
As Dylan’s grandmother -- who he called Gamma -- spoke to News4Jax, she held his Batman shoe.
“It’s the last thing he touched," she said. "I can’t let it go.”
It reminded Sapp of one of her favorite recent memories of Dylan.
“Just a couple weeks ago he saw me on the front porch, says, ‘Gamma, look! I put my shoes on the right foot and nobody told me," Sapp said.
Dylan’s family hopes the boy’s death will remind families to never take their eyes of their children.
“Your life can be changed in a second. Don’t take anything for granted. Let your loved ones know that you love them," Sapp said.
The funeral home that is making arrangements for Dylan is accepting donations for the family.