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10-year-old boy dies in South Dakota river after saving his younger sister

"He would do anything to help his mom or anyone at that, without ever being asked. Ricky gave his life trying to do what he knew was best," his uncle said.
Credit: CBS Newspath

LINCOLN COUNTY, S.D. — Ten-year-old Ricky Sneve risked his own life to save his little sister after she went overboard during a weekend fishing trip on the Big Sioux River in South Dakota, according to family.

"Ricky was down swimming and fishing with his family, and his sister and two brothers had gone in the water," family friend Toni Dumas said. "His dad went to go help the other two out, and Ricky went in after his sister and got his sister back to shore."

But he didn't resurface. It took four hours for crews to recover Ricky's body, investigators said.

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office was one of multiple agencies that responded to the river Saturday after the incident was reported.

"When I arrived on scene, there was numerous fire departments, ambulance agencies, a lot of emergency workers. We had three boats in the water and several dive teams,” Chief Deputy Chad Brown said. 

His uncle, Ricky Eufers, described the young boy as a very intelligent child who loved his family and adventure. 

"He was outgoing, rambunctious, and I mean, he's a typical boy, but loved to help people out," Dumas said. "I mean, him and his mom are like best friends, and he'd do anything for her. He loved hanging out with his dad. He just was a great kid."

Eufers has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help his nephew's mother with expenses. He said she is a single mother of four. 

So far, the campaign has collected nearly $30,000 in donations to support the family. 

"[Ricky] would do anything to help his mom or anyone at that, without ever being asked. Ricky gave his life trying to do what he knew was best," his uncle said.

Dumas owns Country Road Photography and is donating a portion of the money she receives from upcoming sessions to the family. Her post has received more than 500 shares on Facebook.

"I just thought if I could get a couple hundred dollars for them, that would be great,” Dumas said. "I never expected it to get shared as much as it was, but I'm not surprised with how everything else has been going, and the boy that Ricky was. It's amazing."

Many will remember Ricky Sneve as a hero.

First responders want you to think of him the next time you're out on the water.

"The river may look calm and fun to play in, but's its very important that people have life jackets on, are supervised, especially kids, because no parent should have to go through something like this. It's tragic,” Brown said.

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