Mom Takes Final Photo Of Toddler At Beach With Dad Moments Before He Died
A haunting photo of a dad with his son at the beach was taken just moments before he tragically died.
What was meant to be a wholesome trip away became a tragedy for one family camping in Port MacDonnell, South Australia.
Taylia Craw took a picture of her husband, Duncan, and their two-year-old son, Levi, enjoying a day at the beach in January 2021.
Tragically, Duncan died just moments after the snapshot was taken.
Duncan’s family released a statement following the devastation, stating it would be ‘impossible’ to describe the loss they’d faced.
It read (per The Sydney Morning Herald): “He was a cheerful, loving, helpful son. He was a kind and cheeky brother to his sisters. He was a fun-loving, mischievous, and supportive mate who had a heart of gold.”
The 32-year-old was snorkeling off Port MacDonnell during his holiday while his son played with a yellow spade in the sand.
According to South Australian police, Duncan suddenly disappeared from view just before 5 p.m.
Water police, the air wing, and local volunteers searched for the dad into the night and continued first thing the next day.
Duncan’s damaged wetsuit and flippers were found, followed by his remains near the tourist spot, per MailOnline.
The search team initially believed the operations manager had been attacked by a great white shark spotted in the area after finding the torn wetsuit, reports 9News.
A police spokesperson said: “Tragically, police suspect the Victorian man has been the victim of a shark attack after PolAir spotted a shark in the area yesterday afternoon.”
Duncan’s family’s initial statement added: “The exact circumstances of Duncan’s disappearance are not yet known but given the recovery of a damaged wetsuit and the sighting of a great white in the area on Thursday, it looks like a shark was involved.”
Yet further investigation led authorities to believe Duncan died of ‘undisclosed natural causes’ before being taken by a shark.
Duncan’s brother-in-law, Bret Trigg, told 9News: “The last week has been extremely traumatic for all of us but having Levi to look at, it’s just giving us that little bit of strength to keep moving forward.”
The father’s stepsister, Andrea Hamblin, also shared a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying the family would bring Duncan home to Warrnambool, Victoria.
She wrote (per The Guardian): “It brings us comfort to know that he would have passed away peacefully in the water.
“While we may never know for sure, based on the evidence we do have, we now believe it is most likely Duncan suffered a medical episode long before the arrival of the shark.”
Hamblin also shared that the ocean is still a ‘place of peace and beauty’ for the family and they will continue to enjoy the outdoors, remembering Craw as they do.
A GoFundMe has been launched to help Duncan’s son ‘set up for the future’ and ‘ease the burden on Tay, who has been left without her husband and best friend.’
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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