Two young sisters have died in an apparent drowning at a pond on the grounds of their scenic Long Island townhouse.
Ruth Evangeline Gali, 4 years and 11 months, and her sister, Selah Grace Gali, 2 years 11 months, were found unresponsive on Saturday afternoon at Fairfield Townhouses on Victorian Court in Holtsville, a hamlet in Suffolk County located approximately 50 miles from Manhattan.
Suffolk County Police responded to a call at 3.16pm from a family member who reported the children missing. When officers arrived Good Samaritans had already been searching around the property.
Minutes later the children were located and pulled from the water – 911 dispatchers helped instruct the callers on how to perform CPR, Brookhaven Town supervisor Dan Panioco told Newsday.
They were rushed by ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital where they were pronounced deceased, police said.
It is unclear the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
The mother, Sudha Gali, was too traumatized to speak with reporters on Monday, according to friends and family members who visited her at her home.
Some were seen standing at the pond reciting a prayer.
Neighbors said the children’s father, David Gali, has been stuck in India over visa issues, and has been trying to get home.
According to some residents, the child’s mother put her daughters down for a nap before she – and the grandmother who is also living with them – fell asleep.
However, a spokesperson with the Suffolk County Police Department confirmed with DailyMail.com that ‘the girl’s mother was not sleeping – she was awake,’ and what was being reported were rumors.
Many in the quiet residential community were devastated by the unimaginable tragedy and described the parents as ‘such wonderful people.’
Bella Baldy told ABC News she ran to the water to try and save one of the children because she knew CPR.
Other residents – who asked for anonymity – recalled the gut-wrenching scene of a ‘frantic mother’ searching for her children on that tragic day.
Tommy, who has been living in the development for a year, shared that there are no fences or gates around the pond.
He said that a dog – that was blind and hearing-impaired – drowned in thesame pond a few days before the girls died.
Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating their death and are asking anyone with information to call the Homicide Squad at 531-853-6392.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Fairfield Properties, the property management company, for comment.