VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – “Can you come to Ed Stone Park — we have a mother who is drowning. We have the baby, but we can’t get the momma.”
Those were the frantic words of a witness who called 911 as a DeLand mother fought to keep her 4-year-old son above water in the St. Johns River last Saturday. The call lasted roughly 12 minutes.
The mother, later identified by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office as Nicole Grayson, 43, was a mother of six. She died that night in the ICU, according to a press release from VSO.
As the situation grew more desperate, the 911 dispatcher tried to keep the caller grounded.
“If you have the baby out of the water, I need you to be strong for the baby,” the dispatcher said.
Less than two minutes into the call, the caller delivered devastating news.
“She’s not breathing at all,” the caller said.
What happened at Ed Stone Park
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded to Ed Stone Park, west of DeLand, around 4 p.m. Saturday after witnesses reported a child and his mother in the river.
According to the initial investigation, the boy had been playing near a wooden fence at the river’s edge when he dropped an object over the fence. He fell into the water trying to retrieve it, and Grayson jumped in to save him.
While units were en route, a witness flagged down a nearby boater, who threw two life preservers to Grayson and her son. Grayson went under as she struggled to keep her son above water.
The boater pulled the boy onto the boat unharmed. A second witness then jumped in, swam to Grayson, helped lift her onto the boat and performed CPR until EMS arrived and took over.
Grayson was transported to a local hospital, where life-saving efforts continued. She died in the ICU around 10 p.m. Saturday.
Family remembers ‘incredible mother’
By Monday, a growing memorial had taken shape at Ed Stone Park. Cindy Cory was among those who stopped to leave flowers.
“Their lives will never be the same,” Cory said. “Just a situation, very sad all the way around.”
Grayson’s oldest daughter, Montraevia Adams, remembered her mother in a message posted to the family’s GoFundMe page.
“She was an incredible mother who raised six children,” Adams wrote. “She loved each of us unconditionally and would do anything for her kids. We were truly blessed to have a mother who was caring, supportive, selfless, and always willing to sacrifice her time to make sure we had what we needed.”
Adams said she is handling arrangements for the family during this difficult time and is asking for donations to help cover funeral expenses and support her siblings. As of early Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised more than $11,200 from 176 donors — nearly two-thirds of its $18,000 goal.
“Every donation, no matter the amount, is greatly appreciated,” Adams wrote. “Our family is truly grateful.”
“Sheriff Chitwood and the entire Volusia Sheriff’s Office send sincere thanks to all who jumped in to help with the rescue, and deepest condolences to Ms. Grayson’s family and friends for their loss of a mother who gave her life to save her son,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.