CHICAGO – Just days after the bodies of a Chicago woman and her two young children were recovered from Lake Michigan, a family member who reached out to Fox 32 is setting the record straight.
Katina Dean, the maternal aunt of Drake Patton, 31, who along with her children Wyatt Patton, 6, and Jream Washington, 1, were all found in the water near 57th Street on Sept. 13 after Jream’s father called for a welfare check.
What we know:
Katina said her niece suffered from mental health issues after the death of her mother, and yet there were no signs to suggest she might hurt herself or her children.
“If you’re grieving, seek solace somewhere,” Dean said. “If you want to hurt yourself, I truly believe if someone is intent, there’s not a whole lot any of us can do but speaking to that woman who’s struggling to let them know that tomorrow’s a new day.”
Dean said initial reports that the drownings were the result of a domestic issue between Drake and Jream’s father are false.
The family is planning a memorial for this weekend.
The backstory:
Police recovered a female infant from the 5700 block of S. Lake Shore Drive around 11:23 a.m. A 31-year-old woman and a 6-year-old boy were recovered from the water in the 6300 block of E. Hayes Drive around 2:23 p.m.
Each individual was pronounced dead at the scene.
RELATED: A woman and two children found dead in Lake Michigan, police say
What you can do:
Anyone struggling, can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
The Source: This story contains Fox 32 reporting.
