Dad of 3 Kids Dies Trying to Rescue Friends After Boat Capsizes

A 24-year-old father of three died late last month after he tried to help his friends when their boat flipped, causing his own vessel to capsize in a pond in Georgia, authorities and his family said.

Brandon Steele Jr. and three others were fishing in two boats on Aug. 24 on a private pond near Hamburg State Park when one of the boats began to tip, CBS affiliate WMAZ, FOX WGXA and NBC affiliate WMGT reported. 

“The boat leaned a little bit too much and got water in it,” Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran told WMGT.

Steele’s mother, Michelle Steele, told WMAZ that her son was in the other boat and attempted to help his friends in the first boat when he also got into trouble. 

After Brandon’s boat, with two people on board, went to assist the first boat in distress, his vessel capsized as individuals in the water tried to climb on board, WMGT and WGXA reported. 

All four people went into the water, but one person was able to swim to shore and call for help and two others managed to stay afloat, according to the outlets.

However, the fourth person, identified as Brandon, sank under the water’s surface and was later found dead, WMGT, WGXA and WMAZ reported. 

By 4:30 p.m. local time on that Sunday, officials from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources had recovered his body, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media.

The two people who had been rescued from the water earlier were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, officials said. 

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and local coroner’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for further comment.

Brandon’s mom remembered her son as a dedicated family man and husband. He worked hard to support his three children, including twins.

Michelle recalled his dedication to his faith, the fun times with his kids and his silly humor, WMAZ reported.

“He was always quick to share a song or a kind word,” Michelle told the outlet. “His gospel music and his spirit uplifted everyone who knew him.”

Though Michelle was distressed that it took rescuers four hours to find her son’s body — in her opinion, if he’d been found within an hour, he may have had a “fighting chance” — she also wanted to honor what he did while alive, WMAZ reported.

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“My baby is only 24, and to get that phone call, it definitely just makes me feel like I’m broken,” Michelle told the outlet. “I know I have other children. I have grandchildren; I am blessed.”