CROSBY, Texas — Social media posts made by Xtreme Off-Road Park shed some light on how they said two children drowned on Saturday night.
According to posts and replies on Facebook and Instagram, the park said the drownings happened on the marina side of the park. Specifically, they said it happened at the boat ramp, where swimming isn't allowed. They said signs are posted telling people not to swim in the area. The park also offered their condolences to the family.
On Saturday night, a 6-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl are believed to have drowned in the San Jacinto River in the Crosby area. Two bodies were found in the search for them just after midnight, about 3 hours after the kids were first reported missing. Deputies say their father lost sight of them while looking after a third child.
The sheriff's office didn't say exactly where the bodies were found.
Some commenters questioned the safety guidelines that the park has in place while citing other recent deadly incidents that happened there. In a reply to the comment, the park said the rules on the off-road side are enforced and those who break them are kicked out and not allowed back for three months. They went on to rhetorically question what else they could do.
"We don't know what next step to take. Babysit each one of y'all?" the park said in an Instagram post.
Some comments questioned the tone of the messages the park posted to Instagram, asking them to have some sympathy. The park defended itself, saying that its post was intended to tell parents to keep an eye on their kids.
"If we didn't have sympathy we wouldn't be advising parents to please watch THEIR children," the park replied. "You think we like when a child drowns at our property?"
KHOU 11 News reached out to the park several times, but they have yet to respond to requests to talk about the incident.
Here's the update authorities provided after the bodies were found:
Recently, there have been multiple deadly incidents near the park on Gulf Pump Road.
Late last month, a man died while jumping into the water while trying to save a woman who was in distress. Deputies said 28-year-old German Reynaga jumped in to help the woman but he never resurfaced. The sheriff’s office said Reynaga did not know the woman he went into the water to save.
In late May, a 30-year-old man died in an ATV crash at the off-road park. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the man crashed the ATV, went underwater and didn't resurface. Investigators said he managed to get about 50 yards into the water before the ATV flipped, taking him down with it. His body was found after a brief search.
"This is a terrible tragedy that occurred at an outdoor extreme park targeted to adults that encourages families to attend. It’s not clear what, if any, supervision was provided by the park but it’s very likely wrongful death lawsuits will be filed based in part by the number of deaths that have occurred in just one summer," KHOU 11 legal analyst Carmen Roe said.