‘CHAOS’

Parents Recall ‘Horror’ of Child Dying in Florida Sand Hole Collapse

“In my mind, I had her in my hands but the weight of the sand was too much,” Jason Mattingly said of his late daughter.

The parents of the 7-year-old girl who died when a sand hole caved in and buried her last month finally broke their silence on Thursday, emotionally recalling when the serene beach day turned tragic. Jason and Therese Mattingly described how their children, 7-year-old Sloan and 9-year-old Maddox, were looking for seashells and playing in the sand when the scene quickly transformed into chaos. “It just happened so fast,” Jason said, “In my mind, I had her in my hands but the weight of the sand was too much.” When the hole that the Mattinglys’ two children were digging suddenly collapsed and buried them both in sand, several other beachgoers called 911 and stayed with the family to help. “It didn’t matter that we were literally right there. It was just a hole and [then] there’s nothing,” Therese said. “And then it just became chaos and horror.” The children were eventually pulled out about 20 minutes later. But by then, it was too late. Sloan Mattingly died at the hospital later that day. “Everyone tried their hardest and, unfortunately, it didn’t work out in our favor,” Jason said.