When Indiana siblings Sloan and Maddox Mattingly arrived at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach, they were eager to engage in the classic childhood pastime of playing and digging in the sand. However, what began as innocent fun quickly turned into a tragedy as the sand unexpectedly swallowed them, resulting in the loss of seven-year-old Sloan’s life and leaving her nine-year-old brother Maddox fighting for survival in the hospital.
The parents, Therese and Jason Mattingly, had embarked on a family vacation from their home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, seeking respite from the winter chill in the sunny beaches of Florida. On February 20, while enjoying their time at the beach, tragedy struck as the children played near their parents, unwittingly venturing into a large sand hole.
