DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. —- A teenage boy is being remembered as a hero after losing his life while trying to rescue three other children who became trapped in an icy lake.
Loved ones identified 14-year-old Dyllan Whittenberg as one of the four children involved in an ice water rescue on Tuesday afternoon at Crystal Lake in Douglas County. The teen was a student at Ranch View Middle School.
On Friday evening a vigil was held to remember the teen. At least a hundred people gathered around Crystal Lake's perimeters with candles, handwritten messages, and red balloons — red was the boy's favorite color.
Lynnette Sherock, Whittenberg's aunt, said her nephew became submerged in the icy water after initially trying to rescue two girls who were trapped.
"My nephew was a hero, he made sure his friends got to the shore," she said.
During the vigil, Sherock also identified another young boy who came to the girls' rescue moments before her nephew.
"This young man right here was also one of the heroic boys that jumped in the water to help those two girls," she said to the crowd.
She embraced the boy with a hug and said, "... for that you guys are heroes every single day,"
According to eyewitness accounts, the other children involved in the ordeal survived after being pulled ashore by nearby neighbors. Whittenberg had to be rescued by West Metro Fire Rescue's dive team.
Sherock said she witnessed paramedics trying to resuscitate her nephew before he was transported to Children's Hospital Colorado.
"At that point in my heart, I knew that my nephew wasn't going to ever come back home," she said through tears.
The aunt said Whittenberg died on Thanksgiving, a day after he turned 14.
"He lit up a room literally, he was always smiling, always happy, and he gave best hugs up." she said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Whittenberg's family with funeral expenses.