Heartbreaking Moment as Parents Discover Sons Buried Alive in Florida Sandpit

In January, two 14-year-old boys went missing whilst out playing in a sandpit in Florida. The families of Derek Hubbard and George Watts have feared that they had fallen to their deaths in a hole. On Sunday, January 11, officials received a “frantic” call for help after the teenage best friends couldn’t be located at the sandpit close to Sportsman’s Park in Inverness, according to responding officers’ reports shared by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office .

Derrick Hubbard Jr. and George Watts. Credit: GoFundMe When they didn't show up for lunch, the alarm was raised The emergency services were called by one of the boys’ parents after they went to search the sandpit but found only their bikes and shoes.

Within 20 minutes of digging in the sand pit, the fire service pulled George from the cave-in, and authorities later declared that the friends had dug a hole approximately four to five feet deep before it collapsed on them both and ultimately killed them. It is believed they were trapped under the sand for between 30 and 60 minutes. One officer noted that George was “alive and had a pulse, however was not conscious or breathing on his own.