A quiet house with lots of memories

Mar 08, 2026 News

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– Drowned children’s parents recall precious moments of their lives

By Shania Williams

(Kaieteur News) – The family of 10-year-old Jadon DeCourte and eight-year-old Tiana DeCourte, who tragically drowned behind the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) pump station at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara, say their once lively home is now filled with an unbearable silence.

Still grappling with the devastating loss of their two children, the grieving parents say their lives have been forever changed. Yet, in the midst of their sorrow, they are holding tightly to the precious memories that remain; memories that continue to bring both comfort and pain.

The siblings died on Tuesday morning, the day of Phagwah, while playing in the area. Family members explained that Tiana had slipped into a trench while attempting to fill a toy water gun. When Jadon noticed his sister falling, he instinctively tried to hold onto her to prevent her from going under. However, unable to support both their weights, he too was pulled into the deep water.

The couple, who share five children together, said the house that was once filled with joy, laughter, and even the occasional playful shouting will now be a still and quiet place. One sibling must now live without her twin, a younger baby will grow up without the protection of his big brother, while another sibling currently resides in the United States.

During a heartfelt sit-down interview with this publication on Thursday, the children’s parents, Tesha and Jason DeCourte, along with grandmother Cora DeCourte and several aunts and uncles, gathered together to reflect on the lives of the two children and the many ways they touched those around them.

The life of Jadon DeCourte

Jadon DeCourte was described by his family as a natural leader who had dreams of one day becoming a member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). He was always willing to lend a helping hand and carried the energetic spirit of an ordinary young boy who loved to play games, especially football. He was also known in the family for being a fierce competitor during karaoke and dancing sessions.

Jadon attended May 26 Nursery School before transitioning to Paradise Primary School, where he was in Grade Five.

“He was a runner boy in the family. Every time we need something at the shop, he always willing to go buy it.,” the mother said.

“Sometimes he does come to you jussa asking, ‘daddy you aint gotta get something from Quacy or Chinese,’. He willing bad,” the father said.

Jason explained that his son always had a protective nature toward his sisters.

“He got that leader kind of way because he’s the only boy around them…he get a protective way because Jadon would never see he sister drowning and come home and tell me he sister drowned without trying to do something to save he,” Jason recounted.

The parents said that on a normal day, Jadon was usually the first person in the house to wake up, both during school days and on weekends. On many weekends, he would quietly slip out early to meet his friends at the nearby playground or visit his grandmother who lived next door.

“The first thing when I wake up I got to call out for Jadon, he’s the first person I gotta call,” Tesha said.

His mother added that in school he was always looking out for his sisters and was also willing to run errands for his teachers.

“He did well in school, always attending lessons since he would’ve been writing common entrance next year,” she said.

Jadon the money saver

Even at a young age, Jadon had already developed a habit of saving money and buying small things for himself, sometimes in a sneaky but amusing way.

“He’s a save man. Some people like him and he and would just give him money, he’s a very likable child. That’s what make the community drawn so close to him. His death hurt everybody in this community because everybody know this child,” Jason recalled.

He added with a smile, “Every time you send him to the shop, he must take a $100 or he take the change and buy a snack and a busta drink.”

For his father, Jadon was more than just the eldest child in the home.

“Jadon was my main source. He was the eldest among the children, he’s a boy and he’s useful to me. Jadon mean everything to me. He mean so much, we have that father and son bond,” the father said.

Jason also recalled one of his favourite memories with his son. “One of my favourite memory was recently with this electric bike. When I purchase this bike the first thing Jadon said, ‘daddy like we gon ride this bike or wuh’ and I say Saturday we gon take a ride.”

He continued recalling the moment with a soft smile.

“Saturday reach and I play like forget. He done tell he sister that we going and ride Saturday. Now when Saturday reach Jadon come in front of where I went sitting down and say ‘daddy you aint gon fool we today yuh know. Daddy we riding today.’ I say oh yes.”

Jason said as the evening grew darker, he thought the children might have changed their minds.

“I see the sun start go down and thought the children might change their minds because I aint able and then Jadon say, ‘daddy what happen the place getting dark’ and the twins done stand up by the bridge to go in the street telling Jadon to tell me that they ready.”

“For Tiana I had to tell she to slow down, she understand first word. Jadon turn now Jadon jump on right away and he say, ‘me know me know wuh fuh do’. Then Jadon tow them, he was so excited and then he tell me, ‘daddy tomorrow me and you alone gon go and we gon go down the line top, when we go to the line top you gone ride and when we reach the village I gon ride in. Them girls riding slow, them taking long.’ I say arite I gon take you tomorrow,” Jason recalled with a smile.

For Tesha, some of the most touching memories of her son were the small, unexpected moments.

She said he would sometimes walk up to her just to say, “mommy meh love yuh bad.”

She also fondly recalled his playful personality.

“He was a wine man. If he we were sitting down now and he hear a song play, he would take off his shirt and start wine.”

She continued with a laugh, “we always do karaoke night, he always between the big people and he know all the oldies but he like singing ‘Don’t cry Joni’ he know all the words. This man singing this song word for word.”

“My children mean the world to me,” Tesha said.

An aunt of the children also recalled seeing Jadon earlier on Phagwah morning, just moments before the tragedy.

“The same phagwah morning he come and say ‘aunty Diane, you giving me the $1000 right, you say you gon give me the $1000, you giving me it now right.’ I smiled and give he the money and I never see he back,” the aunt stated.

The life of Tiana DeCourte

Little Tiana DeCourte was the identical twin sister of Tia DeCourte. According to their parents, the two girls were inseparable.

Since the tragic death of Tiana, however, her sister has struggled to grasp the painful reality of losing her twin. Because the twins had always slept together, Tia is now forced to sleep with her cousins, as she has never slept alone.

Tiana was described as a free-spirited child. While Jadon shared a special bond with his father, Tiana also had a close father-and-daughter connection with Jason.

Like her brother and twin sister, she attended May 26 Nursery School before moving on to Paradise Primary School. Tiana had excelled academically and had recently attained second place in her class.

Beyond her studies, the little girl had already discovered a passion of braiding and styling hair. She dreamed of one day becoming a professional hairdresser.

“We observed that how she used to sleep with her sister, she sleeps like that with her cousins. They always close. Sometimes they does hug up sleeping,” Jason stated.

He added, “they don’t do without one another. If one wake up and she gone and play and other one wake up later she would walk around the yard start crying saying, ‘me aint seeing Tia.’ When we tell she that Tia in front, she done gone for she sister,” Jason said.

Jason also described Tiana as a true daddy’s girl.

“Sometimes we does ask random questions to the twins like who like mommy or daddy more. Tia never say she like daddy but you see Tiana, she all for me.”

“When I doing work in the yard, Tiana used to come randomly and ask me if I needed water or if I’m okay and she would go for the water for me. I was more connected to Tiana because she was more for me,” Jason stated.

Her mother also recalled moments from school.

“In school, the teacher had a problem with them. Tia slow, Tiana fast.  When Tiana finish writing, she would collect Tia book and would write for her.”

She added another touching memory.

“Tiana was also very loving to her class teacher in school. When the teacher heard the news she said she could take out a lot of I love you letters from Tiana,” Tesha said.

Tesha said one of her favourite memories of Tiana happened on Valentine’s Day.

“She bought a nice gift for me, she hug me and tell me that she love me.”

She added that her daughter was also very helpful at home.

“On a normal day, she would make tea for me already in the morning. Tiana is someone I can count on in the morning. She does take care of the baby and make a feed for him and help change his pampers,” Tesha stated.

The proud mother also spoke about her daughter’s love for doing hair.

“She start on she sister and then on my hair. She used to say she want do hair because she used to do her own hair after she tell me, ‘mommy don’t plait my hair for Monday’.”

Jason also shared another memory from Valentine’s Day.

“On the night, Tia and Tiana come with a piece of paper with a drawing, if you see how they draw me,” Jason laughed.

He continued, “The paper had me, the mother and words saying happy valentines. I tell them that daddy love it bad, it’s the best gift, just to make them feel nice. Father’s Day is the same thing, a drawing,” Jason laughed.

Their grandmother, Cora DeCourte, also reflected on the twins’ early days.

“When the twins were born, they were too small, they [said they] can’t live. I was always with them and work with them, now they get big. I was glad to see they get big,” Cora said.

A house that will never be the same

As the family continues to cope with the tragedy, the quiet moments inside their home have become the most difficult.

“In our quiet moments, every five minutes, my wife breaking down crying and when she break down, I gone break down too because it’s very hard,” the emotional father said.

“The first person I does usually call for is either Tiana or Jadon. I love all my children equally but Tiana and Jadon more fast pace. If I sending the twins to the shop, Tiana would more remember the stuff while Tia does carry the money.”

He paused before recalling a painful moment from the day of the tragedy.

“On the day of the incident I already forget that Tiana was out there and I call out for she to charge my phone, not forgetting that I just left Tiana there,” he said.

“My children mean everything to me. If I had an opportunity that my children could come to life and God could take me, I would do it a thousand times. I ready to go now for my children. My children are my all,” Jason said.

The father explained that the loss of Jadon and Tiana has changed the entire atmosphere of the household.

“The family few now. All the laughter finish in this house. This house quiet now because Tia alone can’t play with the baby, she’s eight and he’s one, they can’t play.”

“Everything change. It’s a different home now. All the shouting with Tiana and Jadon are no more.”

He paused before quietly adding: “Its like I’m in a different world now. This house will never be the same again.”

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• drowned, GWI, Jadon DeCourte, Memories, Tiana DeCourte

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