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Father ‘still trying to process’ loss of son and sister killed in drowning

Posted at 10:16 PM, May 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-31 23:48:12-04

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Red and pink balloons flew high into the sky above the pool at the Chesterfield Village Apartments where 23-year-old Christina Awosina and her 6-year-old nephew Cah'lik Brown drowned Sunday.

Among them, Cah'lik's teacher at Richmond's J.L. Francis Elementary School.

"When you looked at Cah'lik you could see the joy of God. When you looked in his eyes you saw the way that he was who God had made him to be," she told the crowd.

And, Christina's best friend since 9th grade.

Christina Awosina and Cah'lik Brown

"I'm gonna miss her, and I love her very much," she said.

All rallied around little Cah'lik's dad who lost two Sunday: his son and little sister.

"Just the support I've been getting from you all has really helped me just keep my head above water," Jason Awosina said.

Awosina said the pair loved hanging out together, and Cah'lik overheard his aunt talking about going to the pool with friends and begged to go too.

"She decided to let him go cause he usually roll with her a lot of places she go," Awosina said.

Jason Awosina

Awosina said nobody could have predicted the devastating outcome of that decision, and as he heads into his first weekend without his loved ones, he's still shell-shocked.

"I haven't made sense of everything just yet, I'm still trying to process the fact that I lost my son and my sister," Awosina said.

At this point, the investigation indicates they both entered the deep end of the pool.

At one point, Cah’lik let go of the pool wall and began to struggle in the water. Awosina let go of the pool wall in an attempt to help Cah’lik, and she began to struggle in the water, as well.

After being removed from the pool, officers and community members performed CPR on them. They transported to Chippenham Hospital, where both were pronounced dead.

Police continue to investigate this incident, but foul play is not suspected.

Two GoFundMe pages were started by family members to help with the unexpected funeral costs.

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