Utah parents are grappling with the loss of their autistic teen son. The boy went out fishing with a friend they didn’t know, and drowned in the pond. Normally, the boy was better about communicating his plans with his parents, but that day, he evidently did not.
Now, they are speaking out, warning others about the dangers of ponds. Not only that, they are asking for city officials to be more accountable when it comes to preventing drowning deaths. A sign or warning could have saved the life of their son.
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Mother Liana Larsen, and her husband Nathan Gidley, are speaking out about the loss of their 14-year-old son Sam Creel. The autistic teen fell into Glasmann Pond in Ogden, Utah, January 27, 2025, Fox 13 reported.
Sam and a friend were reportedly fishing in the pond when they fell through the ice. Two hours later, both boys were found and airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Sam died at the hospital.
Larsen and Gidley went to Glassman Pond the next day to retrace their son’s steps and speak out about his death. According to the news outlet, the parents said police called them after 5 p.m. to tell them Sam had fallen into the pond. Sadly, they were unable to make it to the hospital before he died.
The parents stated that Sam told his grandfather that he was going to hang out with a friend. They said they’ve never met this friend.
“We lost our little boy last night,” Gidley said. “He didn’t tell us where he was going. He told grandpa that he was going to a friend’s house but that wasn’t where he was going.” Gidley added: “He always came home.”
Larsen also spoke, telling KUTV that she’s “going to miss him so much.” She also added that the family had to delay their holiday celebrations and she “had a whole bag of presents that we missed for him to open.”
“He was so smart. Always just pulling in information, whether it was a device, or a computer or school — asking questions. He wanted to help people. He wanted to be a cop so he could help people,” Gidley told the outlet.
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Sam couldn’t swim, which could have contributed to his death. A man who lives near the pond told the outlet that he yelled for the teens to get off the ice because of the danger.
The parents believe that the city should do more to warn everyone about the dangers of being out on the ice. Larsen suggested “Signs [that say] ‘Do not go out on the ice.'”
Spotfund and GoFundMe fundraisers have been set up to help the family as they move through this unimaginable tragedy.
