Two Lorain families are uniting in the wake of tragedy. Saturday night, the friends and families of Isaiah Barnes and Jesus Del Valle Rodriguez held a joint vigil after both young men drowned at a Lorain County Metro Park earlier in the week.
“We both lost somebody we love, somebody that meant something to us,” said Loretta Carr, the step-mother of Jesus Del Valle Rodriguez.
“He didn’t have to go in the water. And then he lost his life trying to save my nephew,” said Isaiah’s aunt Joyce Cobb.Jesus’ family and friends wore shirts with his face and the word ‘hero’ written on them to Saturday’s vigil. Nikishia Barnes told News 5 she felt compelled to reach out to Jesus’ stepmother online when she heard about the 20-year-old’s efforts to save her son.