Family Of 3 Siblings Who Drowned Need Money For Funerals

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IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) – Three young children gone in an instant.

It's a parents worst nightmare and an Irving mother is actually living it tonight. Three of her children drowned last week in an apartment pool at an apartment complex.

"That day I decided to take them to the pool. They were so excited… they were excited to go," said Patricia Smith about her sons Anthony, 12, Trishawn, 10 and daughter August, 11.

It was a hot afternoon and they wanted to cool off in the pool at their new apartment complex.

"I said we're not gonna be here that long because I didn't recognize how dirty the water was," said Smith, who noticed a cloudy haze in the otherwise blue water.

Smith's children all knew how to swim and had even visited the beach. With the three children splashing and having fun, Smith turned her attention to her toddler – away from the murky deep end.

♦♦♦WATER SAFETY TIPS♦♦♦

It only took a few seconds for Smith's other children to go under. She noticed how quiet it was and immediately put her toddler outside of the water and jumped back in.

"I just kept yelling in the pool. I can't see in this water. I can't see them," said Smith. "I don't know where they are and people started jumping in the pool and they couldn't see them either."

It was a hectic, terrifying scene for everyone involved. Smith's three children were eventually found at the bottom of the pool and pulled out in front of their horrified mother.

A week later, Smith is still grieving while trying to gather the funds for their funerals. She hopes someone in the community will offer to help her.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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