A Michigan father is grieving after his teenage daughter drowned while trying to save her young cousin, with the devastated dad now sharing the final words she spoke before slipping beneath the water.
Glenn Bradley, 38, said he feels “numb” after his 14-year-old daughter, Aamina Bradley, died in the Detroit River at Maheras-Gentry Park while attempting to rescue her nine-year-old cousin.
The heartbroken father of three said the family had gathered at the park Saturday to celebrate Aamina’s brother’s graduation when her younger cousin fell into the water.
“My niece tried to swim to the other side and she started drowning,” Bradley told the Daily Mail.
“My daughter went out there to save her. Man, the current of the Detroit River is strong.”
Bradley said he plunged into the river in a frantic attempt to reach Aamina, moments before she called out to him for the final time.
“She looked at me one last time and said, ‘Dad, help me.’ And she disappeared in the water. I just went out there and couldn’t find her. The current was pulling me.”
As he searched desperately for his daughter, Bradley said he began to struggle in the water himself and ultimately had to be rescued.
Bystanders pulled the nine-year-old out of the waters, while police searched the waters for hours before pulling the teen’s body from the river.
Glenn Bradley, 38, said he has been left ‘numb’ after 14-year-old Aamina Bradley (pictured) drowned in the river at Maheras-Gentry Park in Detroit while rescuing her nine-year-old cousin
The teen’s father Glenn Bradley (pictured speaking to a local station about the tragedy) leapt in to try and save his daughter
Bystanders pulled the nine-year-old from the waters, while police searched for hours before finding Aamina’s body
The selfless teen, a sister to two brothers, ‘loved the water,’ according to her grief-stricken father.
‘She had the biggest heart. She was sassy [and] very possessive with the people that she loved,’ he said.
‘She was very brilliant, smart. Very funny, always playing jokes.’
Bradley said, after Aamina’s biological mother left, the young teen was raised by himself and her grandmother.
His family are now left grieving Aamina, who had dreams of becoming a scientist, her father said.
‘She was my favorite girl in the world… [It] doesn’t really feel real. I have moments when I break down. Other moments, I’m mostly numb,’ he continued.
‘She was a beautiful soul. She was a fighter…for the people that she loved, she was going to have your back.’
Bradley recalled his heartbreaking last moments with his daughter. On that day, she had picked out ‘a pretty burgundy dress with flowers’ and white sandals, the father remembered.
The heroic teen, a sister to two brothers, jumped in after her cousin and tried to rescue them, but quickly realized she wasn’t able to make her way back to the shore. She is pictured here in an older photo
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Bradley, seen pictured with Aamina, said his daughter was his ‘favorite girl in the world’ and his ‘super hero’
According to those who knew her, Aamina ‘cherished spending time with her family and friends’ and she had ‘big dreams,’ including a trip to Japan
Bradley said Aamina, who he described as his ‘everything,’ had dreams of becoming a scientist and ‘loved the water’
‘She looked like me. Yeah, that’s my baby. The night before, we talked because she had been upset with me, and we talked for a while. She jumped in bed and cried, gave me the biggest hug,’ he said.
‘The next morning when she got up, she jumped in the bed with me, gave me a hug and a kiss and told me she loved me.’
Aamina’s step-mother described the teen as ‘so full of life, loving, caring’ and ‘funny.’
‘I’m so sorry Babi,’ she wrote on Facebook.
Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield said in a statement: ‘A young girl lost her life in the water at Meharas-Gentry Park. There are no words adequate to ease the grief her family is carrying today.
‘No family should ever have to endure the loss of a child. The city sends our heartfelt condolences to the family.’
Bradley said the heartbroken family are preparing arrangements to celebrate Aamina’s young life.
According to a GoFundMe to help lay Aamina to rest, the young teen was a ‘beautiful, bright, loving and feisty girl’ with a ‘smile that could light up any room.’
Bradley recalled his heartbreaking last moments with his daughter. On that day, she had picked out ‘a pretty burgundy dress with flowers’ and white sandals, the father remembered
Aamina’s step-mother described the teen as ‘so full of life, loving, caring’ and ‘funny’
‘She cherished spending time with her family and friends, and her kind spirit touched everyone who knew her. Aamina had big dreams. She often talked about visiting Japan, a place she longed to experience… she was truly one of a kind.’
‘Her favorite color was pink,’ Bradley said. He recalled how Aamina’s best friend’s and her grandmother’s favorite colors were purple; his daughter’s second favorite color.
‘She was my favorite girl in the world. This is my super hero,’ the devastated father said.
The Daily Mail contacted the Detroit Police Department for comment.
