Paisley and Parker Sandidge drowning: 5-year-old twin sisters drown in pool during family vacation at Kissimmee rental home in Florida after adults went on food run and leaving teen to supervise siblings. Mom Courtney Sandidge responds to tragedy.
A pair of 5-year-old twin sisters on vacation drowned in the pool at their family’s rental home in Florida according to local authorities.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says a family from Atlanta was on vacation at a short-term rental home in Kissimmee. The twins were found unconscious around 11 a.m. Friday in the home’s backyard pool, just hours after the family arrived.
The girls were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Twin girls drown in backyard pool of Florida vacation rental home
Investigators said a 15-year-old family member had been left in charge of watching the children while their parents went to a grocery store. Officials have not released details about how long the girls were unsupervised or how they gained access to the pool.
Neighbor Gerald Dupont told WIS-TV he heard a woman screaming for help moments after the incident.
‘The lady’s screaming, ‘Oh, no, they’re not breathing.’ Whoever it was … she was really upset, and I feel sorry for her. My heart breaks over something like that. I wouldn’t know what would happen if it was one of mine,’ Dupont said.
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kim Montes described the deaths as a devastating tragedy.
‘This is horrific. This is a tragedy at its worst. These people came on vacation, and unfortunately, they’re leaving without two of their members,’ Montes said.
5-year-old twin sisters’ mom responds
The girls were identified as Paisley and Parker.
Posted the sister’s mom, Courtney Sandidge on Facebook, ‘R.I.P to my beautiful girls, I’m finding strength in knowing this journey was not without purpose. Though it’s unimaginable, I’ll hold onto the memories we shared. My babies may share the same birth date and now the same death date, but their bond remains unbreakable. Paisley and Parker, mommy’s love for you is eternal, and your brother loves you just the same, forever 5, and in my heart, you’ll stay.’
A GoFundMe stated the twins were ‘inseparable, playful, loving, and endlessly curious, with infectious smiles that lit up every room they walked into.’
‘To know Paisley and Parker was to love them.’
The circumstances surrounding the drowning remain under investigation, and authorities have not announced whether any charges are pending. Officials are continuing to gather evidence and determine exactly how the incident occurred.
