A grieving father searches for answers in drowning

A day after his daughter drowned in the Schuylkill, Octavio Perez was still haunted by how the last time he saw her she was playing in shallow water just 10 feet from him.

Perez said in an interview that he and his brother-in-law had taken their six children to play in the river, where it runs through Valley Forge National Park. Just as the two families were leaving around 5:30 p.m., they noticed 5-year-old Kelly Perez was missing.

"She didn't make a sound," Perez said of his daughter's sudden disappearance.

The families searched the area, seeking assistance from fishermen, who Perez said swam underwater in search of Kelly. After 10 minutes, the fishermen called the police, Perez said.

Fire and rescue units found Kelly floating in six feet of water a short distance away, near the Pawlings Road Bridge in Lower Providence Township. She had been spotted by a fireman from the bridge.

The girl was rushed to Phoenixville Hospital, where, after several attempts at resuscitation, she was pronounced dead at 8:23 p.m.

Perez, of the 100 block of Chain Street in Norristown said he and his family had moved to the area from Lakewood, N.J., a month ago, and it was the first time he had taken his children to play in the Schuylkill. He said that neither of them knew how to swim.

"There were no signs saying 'No Swimming,' " Perez said.

Perez and his wife, Amos Carmona, moved to Norristown to seek work. Carmona said that while the family had only just settled into their new home, Kelly had already made friends with other children in the neighborhood.

"She was amazing," Carmona said, speaking of Kelly's personality. She was an active, friendly girl, who loved to listen to music and play with her younger sister Betsy, she said.

"We feel so sad to lose our daughter," Carmona said.

Jorge Ayala, 9, was one of Kelly's many friends and neighbors. The two liked to play cards and to roll around in the grass. After hearing of his friend's death, he said, "I miss her a lot. She was a really good person, and a lot of fun."

According to Denise Walsh, community relations coordinator for Lower Providence Township, the area where the family was swimming was a popular fishing location, but people would also swim there occasionally.