Father and son from Harborcreek drowned in Virginia over holiday weekend

Jennifer Mobilia and Matt Mathias

19 mins ago

A Harborcreek family was struck by tragedy this holiday weekend while vacationing in Virginia.

JET 24/FOX 66 confirmed that a father and son drowned in Lake Anna on Saturday while attending a graduation ceremony.

The victims were identified by family members as 14-year-old Tyler Atchley and 42-year-old Matthew Atchley.

According to the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office in the US state of Virginia, a 911 call came in shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday about a drowned child.

Deputies said while they were en route, the child’s father jumped into the water to save his son.

According to witnesses, the father was seen struggling in the water before he too went under.

Several passers-by jumped into the water to find father and son, but they were unsuccessful. A diving team from the rescue service later recovered the bodies.

Kelly Hess, superintendent of the Harbor Creek School District, released a statement saying:

It is with heavy hearts that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our middle school students and his father while on vacation out of town. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time.
Following this tragedy, the district has provided additional counselors to speak with students about normal reactions to grief. Additional counselors are available if needed.
On behalf of Harbor Creek, we would like to once again express our sincere condolences to the family on this tragic event.

We spoke to the victim’s cousin, who was shocked to hear the tragic news from the family on Saturday.

“I kept asking her if she was sure. Are you kidding me, are you sure? And she said, ‘No, I’m not.’ I just freaked out. To lose a husband and a son at the same time is unbelievable,” said Heidi Johnson, Matthew Atchley’s first cousin. “He would do anything for anyone, he loved you more than anyone in the world. He and his son would give you a big hug and support you no matter what you were like.”

Matthew and Tyler Atchley leave behind a wife and mother and three daughters and sisters.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family pay for funeral expenses. The link to donate can be found here.