A family in rural Georgia is grappling with an unimaginable loss after their twin toddlers tragically drowned near their picturesque country club residence.
Charlie and Jax Smith, both aged three, were discovered lifeless in a small pond behind their mother’s home in Cordele on Wednesday morning.
The heartbreaking incident took place in the upscale Pine Hills Country Club community, prompting a swift response from Crisp County sheriff’s deputies shortly after 11 a.m.
Upon arrival, authorities located the young siblings in the pond, confirming the worst fears of the family.
Crisp County coroner Richard Wright shared with the Daily Mail that the adored twins had wandered away and ventured into the pond.
Emergency responders quickly arrived, initiating life-saving efforts at the scene in a desperate bid to rescue the children.
The toddlers were then transported to a nearby hospital, where they later died.
An autopsy determined the pair died by drowning, Wright said. He added that no foul play is suspected and called the incident a ‘freak accident.’
Three-year-old twins Jax and Charlie Smith, pictured in 2023, were found dead in a small pond behind their mother’s Cordele, Georgia home late Wednesday morning
Jax, left, and Charlie, right, earlier this year in Facebook photos shared by their dad Dave Smith
Cordele police have not publicly named the twins, but their grandmother Fran Bumbalough Brown revealed on social media that her family were the victims of the heartbreaking tragedy.
‘Yesterday morning about 11:00 am, we lost our Three year old twins to heaven,’ she wrote late Thursday night.
‘Tragic accident and our beautiful babies are with Jesus now and their family that awaits them in the glorious home of Jesus.
‘I know they are there with him but ohh the pain and despair that we all feel right now is unimaginable.’
Fran went on to ask her loved ones for their ‘prayers and support’ as they cope with the devastating loss.
She added that she hopes ‘nobody anywhere has to experience what we are feeling at this time.’
Charlie and Jax are the children of Fran’s daughter Angie Brown and Dave Smith, who lives roughly 30 miles away in Cobb, Georgia.
The twins died at Angie’s home, which according to real estate listings has a fenced in backyard adjacent to a small pond.
Crisp County sheriff’s deputies were called to Angie Brown’s the $420,000 residence in the private Pine Hills Country Club community just after 11am on Wednesday
The beloved toddlers had wandered off and drowned in the pond behind their home, Crisp County coroner Richard Wright told the Daily Mail
Charlie and Jax are the children of Angie Brown and Dave Smith, pictured together. Neither has publicly commented on the toddlers’ passings, but their social media pages show the twins were well loved
It is unclear whose care the children were in at the time of their tragic deaths.
Neither Angie nor Dave have publicly commented on the toddlers’ passings, but their social media pages show the twins were well loved.
In a post three years ago, Angie asked Dave: ‘How did we get so lucky?! Time please slow down! They grow too fast..’
Another post saw the mother dressing the twins up in University of Georgia themed outfits ahead of a Bulldogs football match. ‘Ready for the game!!!’ she wrote.
Dave, in May last year, shared a picture of himself and Charlie, which he captioned: ‘Baby girl loves her daddy.’
Earlier this year, he posted a photo of Jax in a Walmart shopping cart and described his son as being ‘my mini me.’
Charlie and Jax’s deaths remain under investigation by the Cordele Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Police issued their condolences to the family and urged the community to ‘keep the family and all those affected in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.’
Dave, in May last year, shared this picture of himself and Charlie, which he captioned: ‘Baby girl loves her daddy’
Angie’s home is located in a private community near the Pine Hills Country Club, pictured
The twins’ older brother Emerson Davis, a collegiate baseball player, thanked Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock for his department’s response to the horrific situation.
‘Thanks for everything you did yesterday!’ he wrote on Facebook Wednesday, accompanied by an inspirational post shared by the sheriff.
Emerson and Angie are no strangers to tragedy, with the pair having lost their father and husband Benjamin Davis in September 2021.
He was only 38 when he died in a local nursing home, leaving behind Angie, his wife of six years, and five children.
The Daily Mail has approached the Brown family for comment.
