Less than a week after 39-year-old Besmir Licaj drowned in a retention pond at a Jacksonville apartment complex, his sister returned to the water’s edge for the first time to speak publicly about the brother she lost. Licaj was found unresponsive in a retention pond at Coquina Bay Apartments off San Pablo Road on July 29. Bystanders pulled him from the water, but he did not survive. On Saturday, his sister Blerta Gurguri and close family friend Tammy Wilson met News4JAX at that same pond, throwing flowers into the water as they grieved.

A 16-month-old girl who nearly drowned in a retention pond a month ago and was left in a comatose state needs an experimental treatment to recover, her family says.

The parents of Ayala Wayla spoke to News4JAX Monday about their baby girl who is fighting for her life.