Background: News footage of Government Pier in Marinette, Wis. (WBAY). Inset: Jakob Bowerman (Bowerman Funeral Home).
A Wisconsin mother claims that her 13-year-old son, who passed away after being allegedly pushed off a pier by a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old, had been targeted by bullies due to his autism.
On Aug. 20, Jakob Bowerman, 13, was pulled from the water near Government Pier, as reported by Marinette police. Days later, he succumbed to his injuries at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay. In connection with the incident, a 16-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man were arrested, although their identities have been withheld due to the ongoing investigation.
Jakob’s mother, Taylor Singer, reached out to local news outlets, including ABC affiliate WBAY, to share her son’s story and address the bullying he reportedly endured throughout his life.
Singer recounted to WBAY how, earlier that day, she had been at Government Pier. Upon arriving home, police informed her of Jakob’s involvement in a “drowning accident.” Shocked, she realized, “I was just down there watching everything, but it was actually my son that was there.”
According to WBAY, police revealed that camera footage showed the two suspects allegedly pushing Jakob into the water. Singer noted that Jakob had a profound fear of deep water and couldn’t swim. She informed local NBC affiliate WGBA, “Jakob wouldn’t jump into that water. I got a call the next day saying that what those kids said were not true, that he was actually pushed into the water.”
Singer explained to WGBA that Jakob had only recently met the 16-year-old suspect and had never met the 21-year-old.
Marinette Police detailed in their Facebook post that Jakob was rescued from the water, and first responders administered lifesaving measures before transferring him to Aurora Medical Center-Bay Area. Subsequently, he was airlifted to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he remained on life support for three days until passing on Aug. 23. They mentioned an autopsy was slated for Wednesday, though the results were not yet disclosed publicly.
Criminal charges against the two suspects were referred to the Marinette County District Attorney’s Office, but specific information was not made available.
Singer told WBAY, “Kids, they just need to be nice. There’s no reason to pick on people. There’s no reason to think it’s funny to push kids off a pier. I don’t know if they thought it was funny or what. But we need to do better with our kids and teach them to respect one another.”
