A mother of three tragically drowned in a lake after jumping in to try to save her 12-year-old daughter.
Amarilia ‘Lileana’ Vamaca died after trying to help her daughter in distress at Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, Tennessee.
The incident occurred on August 4 while Vamaca’s husband was swimming in a different part of the lake.
Upon hearing that his daughter was in distress, he rushed to help her, only to discover that his wife had already intervened.
‘I asked, where is your mother, where is your mother? (His daughter) said she already went into the water,’ said Martin Ambrosio. What the fuck.
A mother of three drowned in a lake while trying to save her 12-year-old daughter
Vamaca was taken to hospital and later taken off life support.
Half a dozen passersby sprang into action to search for Vamaca and eventually found her. They performed CPR on her until paramedics arrived, but it was too late.
“A boy pulled her out, but she had already died,” Ambrosio said.
Vamaca was taken to hospital and later taken off life support.
Ambrosio said his wife of 15 years was the cornerstone of his family, a vibrant and loving presence in the lives of his three young children.
“We’re sad,” Ambrosio told WTVF. “She was an open, smiling, cheerful, joking person, she liked being friends with people…”
TO GoFundMe A campaign has been set up to help with the costs of returning Vacama’s body to his native Guatemala.
The incident occurred Sunday when the family was swimming in Nashville’s Percy Priest Lake.
Vamaca’s husband said his wife was the cornerstone of their family.
Ambrosio stressed the need for warning signs to protect the Spanish-speaking community.
“We can’t read English and we didn’t see any signs,” he said, saying warning signs in English and Spanish should be posted near dangerous parts of the lake.
As the family grapples with the loss, Ambrosio said, they are seeking strength through their faith.
“We hope in the name of God that God gives us the strength to overcome this, to be able to move forward,” he said.
