Until the tragic and untimely death of his son, Juan Rodriguez did not realize how tight knit his community in Brownsville was.
He says the support offered by family, neighbors, and strangers, has made the past week almost bearable for his grief-stricken family.
"I would like to thank the community for all of the support they have given us,” said Juan Rodriguez. “My family appreciates it. It's amazing what union does. It's unfortunate that a tragic accident like this has to happen to bring people together.”
Rodriguez's 6 year old son Juan Rodriguez Junior drowned in a pond at the Brownsville Sports Park Sunday after he and his sister Ashley Rodriguez went into the water.
Two year old Ashley is fighting for her life at a McAllen hospital.
"I would also like to ask everyone to please keep my daughter Ashley in their prayers,” said Rodriguez. “She's still in critical condition.”
Brownsville police are holding the children's mother, Maria Elizabeth Perez Mata accountable and have charged her with two counts of endangering a child since they claim the children were unsupervised at the time of the incident.
Rodriguez says his six other children are having difficulty coming to terms with the loss of a sibling and are suffering without the comfort of their mother who remains jailed.
“Obviously they are distraught,” said Rodriguez. “They're hurt and they're missing their brother and missing their sister who is in tough condition.”
Rodriguez says family and friends are helping cover funeral costs for little Juan.
He said he is not sure how expensive medical bills will be for his daughter Ashley.
But that at this time he's not thinking about money, he is just focusing on helping his children get through this difficult time.
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