What began as an ordinary afternoon of childhood adventure ended in unthinkable heartbreak for two Florida families.Worry quickly turned to panicGeorge Watts and Derrick “DJ” Hubbard, both just 14 years old and inseparable best friends, were spending the day digging and exploring near a sandpit at Sportsman’s Park in Inverness, about 70 miles north of Tampa.It was the kind of carefree play adults often encourage — kids outside, using their imagination, enjoying freedom.“They were just kids,” Corey Edwards, their coach and mentor through the 352 Legends program, told FOX 13.“They were just kids doing what we try to tell kids to do, ‘Get outside and play.’”

At some point, the boys dug a hole estimated to be four to five feet deep. Without warning, the sandpit collapsed, trapping both teenagers beneath thousands of pounds of loose sand.When lunchtime came and neither boy answered their phones, worry quickly turned to panic. Derrick’s mother, Destiny Rogers, and George’s parents rushed to the park after discovering their sons’ bikes and shoes abandoned near the pit. Realizing something was terribly wrong, they began digging with their bare hands and called for help.Died two days afterFirst responders arrived within minutes and launched a frantic rescue effort.George was pulled from the sand first. He was alive and had a pulse but was unconscious and unable to breathe on his own. He was rushed to a local hospital and later airlifted to UF Health Shands in Gainesville in critical condition.was found moments later. He had no pulse.Despite emergency efforts, Derrick was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Two days later, at 4:25 a.m. Tuesday, George also succumbed to his injuries.