CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Losing a child is never easy and when that loss is sudden, it can take a toll on a family.
Ryan Conyers said his 18-year-old son Chase leaves behind grieving parents and three brothers who are still coming to grips with the loss.
“He’s going to be missed. He’s going to be missed so much by so many people,” Conyers said. “He was one of a kind in so many special ways. He’s gone way too soon. He had so much more to give.”
Chase and his family had gone on a fishing trip on the Outer Banks over the weekend when the unexpected happened. He died after a dune collapsed into a hole, according to officials with Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Authorities say family and friends searched for the teen and found him buried under several feet of sand.
“It’s tough. Very tough. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody,” Conyers said. “I know none of my kids are ever going near the sand dunes again, that’s for sure. For sure.”
Officials say they believe the teen had been digging holes in the area.
Misty Meads is the fiancé of Ryan Conyers. She said family and friends are sharing their story, as painful as it may be, in hopes of raising awareness and maybe saving a life.
“It’s just the thought of anybody having to go through this. It’s something so simple that could have been prevented if we were more aware,” Meads said. “Just to get the awareness out there. It doesn’t take much to stay off the sand dunes.”
The family says Chase is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Chesapeake four years ago and didn’t realize how dangerous it could be to walk around or dig near dunes.
“It being a vacation town, people that aren’t from there – they’re not aware of the dangers of it,” Meads said. “If anything, I just want to bring awareness to the dangers of dunes and it doesn’t even have to be a deep hole.”
Loved ones of Chase say they don't want another family to experience the hurt they're feeling now.
“We did everything together, he was my main man,” Conyers said. “He touched so many people. His kindness just radiated to people around him.”
In the wake of this tragedy, officials on the Outer Banks and here in Hampton Roads are urging people not to dig deep holes on the beach and to be aware of the risks of going near dunes.
Friends of the Conyers family have set up a fundraiser to raise money for funeral costs.