The family of the "perfect couple" who drowned while on a Florida vacation with their children have spoken out.
Tragedy struck on Thursday (June 20) when Brian Warter, 51, and his girlfriend Erica Wishart, 48, tragically lost their lives after getting caught by a rip current while swimming at the beach on Hutchinson Island, Florida.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek revealed to WPTV that one of their six children, who were mostly teenagers, tried yelling at their parents to swim parallel to the shore.
Unfortunately, Brian and Erica didn’t receive the urgent plea, as they were "in panic mode and unfortunately went under,” per the outlet.
Martin County Ocean Rescue located the victims and began CPR on shore before rushing them to the hospital where medics at Cleveland Clinic North tried life-saving measures. Tragically, they were pronounced dead.
Larry Warter, Brian’s father, and his wife, Susie, have now opened up about their loss to CBS12 News. The couple own a condo on Hutchinson Island, where the family of eight were staying before the heartbreaking incident.
The part-time Stuart residents revealed that the family was all excited to experience their first vacation all together, sharing: “They were so thrilled, they couldn’t see straight about going down. This was the first time. This was the experiment. They had all six of their kids together. They had been planning it for over a month.”
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The bereaved father disclosed that the late couple had been dating for over a year and were looking forward to building a future together.
“He [Brian] had proposed to her. They were waiting for her kids to get done with college,” he said, adding that the couple had so much love for each other and their children.
Susie Warter, Brian's mother, spoke about a recent phone conversation she had with the couple's friend on Friday, and shared: “She said how much she loved Brian, what a great guy and what a perfect pair they were."
The sheriff's office disclosed in a press release that they assisted the six children throughout the day until other family members could arrive in Florida.
The Warter family issued a statement, sharing that they are grateful for the community's outpouring of love and support at this time.
"We’ve been overwhelmed by offers of help and everything else. We thought we were going through this alone and it hasn’t been," Larry concluded.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.
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