Antonio Roman, 30, died when his inflatable tube went over a Duke Energy dam along the Dan River in Eden, North Carolina.
“A mother and father are supposed to go before their children,” said his mother Kimberly. “their children are not supposed to go before them.”
Roman was one of nine family members from Eden and La Porte, Ind., who went over the dam last week.
“He was always happy,” said Shane Young, his brother. “He’s just a happy person, and kept everyone in good spirits too.”
Young said Roman was expecting his fourth child, but both mother and unborn baby are still missing. Search crews are still looking for 35-year-old Teresa Villano, who is 24 weeks pregnant.
“They were going to have a gender reveal,” Young said. “They had a cake ordered at Walmart.”
Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina said Villano’s niece, teenager Sophie Wilson, who was visiting from La Porte, was one of the four bodies recovered, while 14-year-old Karlos Villano, also from La Porte, was one of the four rescued.
Deputies said the four survivors were found clinging to the dam, where they had been overnight.
Search efforts for Teresa Villano were suspended due to weather Tuesday, but will resume Wednesday.
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