ST. GEORGE, Utah — Just a few months after a St. George family became whole, a tragic drowning took one of their boys away. The heartbroken family is now trying to honor their son's memory.
“We just fell into each other’s arms, it was just like it was meant to be,” said Bronwyn Sinclair-White.
She and her husband, David, adopted Jhony and Kevin from Bogota, Columbia in December 2022.
In seven months, they bonded as a family while traveling and spending time together. Just 18 years old, Jhony loved playing soccer and was weeks away from starting his senior year in high school.
“It’s been really traumatic,” said Bronwyn. “He was literally just the perfect child."
Tragedy struck this weekend when Jhony drowned in the Kolob Reservoir while on a family fishing trip.
“I looked in the rearview mirror and I saw Jhony’s hand like ‘Help, help, help,’ and I ran out of the car and I heard Kevin screaming," recalled Bronwyn. "I saw Dave swimming to him and I just saw him go under the water before Dave could get there."
After Jhony was pulled out of the water, paramedics performed CPR before he was airlifted to a St. George hospital where he died on Monday.
Days later, his family is trying to make sense of the tragedy.
“We’ve been able to donate some of his organs and so it’s so special,” said Bronwyn. “Just knowing the kind of person that Jhony was, that’s exactly what he would have wanted.”
Jhony and his brother, Kevin, grew up in Columbia.
“People say, don’t adopt teenagers. Adopt teenagers!" Said Bronwyn. "They are so wonderful and I would do it 10 times over."
Bronwyn said that losing Jhony has been so hard for his little brother.
“For a kid to really have to grapple with losing his brother, that’s been the support, the only support that he’s had for his entire life until we adopted them,” she said. “A huge loss for him, this is the person that’s taken care of him. He’s an amazing, amazing big brother.”
The community has stepped up to help the Whites; lighting fireworks, tying ribbons and putting up the Colombian flag around their neighborhood to celebrate Jhony.
“Things are so raw and traumatic right now, but it feels like everyone is picking us up,” said Bronwyn.
Those looking to help the family with expenses, should CLICK HERE.
