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A Herriman family has a heartfelt but bittersweet thank you tonight for three teens they consider heroes. The girls helped save a 4-year-old girl who was drowning. Her 14-year-old cousin was not so lucky.
Fourteen-year-old Mallory Parsons drowned last month in Bear Lake while trying to keep her cousin's head above water. Her family is calling her a hero, but they also want to recognize the efforts of three teenagers, complete strangers, who also helped save a life.
Natalie Boss is grateful for every day she has with 4-year-old Rylee. But the family is also grieving the loss of Rylee's cousin, Oregon native Mallory Parsons. "She died two days before her 15th birthday," Natalie said.
Parsons was swimming in Bear Lake with Rylee; another cousin was on a raft. The family believes the wind blew the raft away, leaving Mallory holding Rylee.
"She is an amazing runner and dancer and very athletic little girl, so we know she was in good shape, but it just got too much for her," Natalie said.
Three friends -- Tiana Skeen, Caitlin Caldwell and Jessica Osterloh -- were on a canoe nearby when they saw the third cousin floating on the raft.
"So Jess asked her 'Are you OK?' And she said, ‘No they're drowning,' and points to our left," Tiana said.
Tiana and Jessica swam to the area while Caitlin went for help. Rylee's head had slipped under water. They saw her blond hair and grabbed her. Mallory was gone.
"I was just like, swim, swim. That's all that was going through my mind," Jessica said.
Caitlin Caldwell said, "We were just in the right place at the right time. Mallory held Rylee up for so long, if anything, she's the one that kept her alive. We just happened to be there."
But Rylee's family feels the teens deserve to be recognized for helping save the 4-year-old and doing their best to save her cousin. "We would like them to succeed and keep in touch with them to see how their lives turn out," Natalie said.
Tiana, Jess and Caitlin have been to the Boss' house to play with Rylee, and they exchange text messages with Natalie. When we asked Rylee about them, she said they're her cousins.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
