A father and son who family says were rarely apart died in the icy waters of a Michigan lake after falling through while ice fishing on Monday, cops say.
A father and young son who relatives call inseparable died on Monday after plunging through the ice of a frigid Michigan lake.
David Lyons, 30, and four-year-old Jackson Lyons were pulled from Alderman Lake in Highland Township after ice broke up beneath them while they were ice fishing, authorities say.
The father and son were rushed to a hospital while paramedics attempted to resuscitate them, but they were both soon pronounced dead.
Conflicting accounts put the time the two were in the frigid water from 3 or 4 minutes to as long as 35 minutes, reports CBS Detroit.
Read: Mother Sentenced to Life In Prison Without Parole for Killing Her 3 Young Daughters
Highland Township Fire Chief Richard Cole said both father and son were wearing snow suits but not life jackets.
"Alderman Lake is a very deep lake, but they weren’t far from shore, but when they went through they went through to about five or six feet of water — and the bottom of the lake in that area is nothing but muck," Cole said.
The problem, authorities say, is the wave of warmer temperatures that has affected much of the Midwest and East in recent days.
In a statement, Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard called the tragedy a "horrific reminder that we should always hold safety first when we undertake water-related activities."
"No ice is safe ice especially due to the mild weather we have experienced this winter. Our thoughts are with the family during this unthinkable time," Bouchard said.
Read: Elderly Woman Freezes to Death After Falling Trying to Help Husband Get Up
Lyons was reportedly engaged to Jackson's mother, who's now lost a son and a fiance.
A man who identified himself to the Detroit News as Jackson's grandfather said the father and son were joined at the hip.
"They liked to do things together," said the man. "Ice fishing, riding four wheelers. Anything together."
A friend of Lyons' who visited the lake to say his "goodbyes," also remembered them as close.
"He was actually a great father, he cut hair for a living and really looked out for his son…His kid meant the world to him. It’s just heartbreaking," the friend told WWJ.
Watch: Watch This Thief Snatch an Elderly Woman's Purse While Praying in Church
