Florida best friends, 14, die after sand pit collapses

Inverness, FL — Two 14‑year‑old best friends died Sunday after a sand pit collapsed while they were digging near Sportsman’s Park, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities report the friends, George Watts and Derrick Hubbard Jr, dug a four or five feet tunnel that unfortunately collapsed.

The tragedy has devastated the community, with loved calling the loss “unimaginable”.

Here are important facts about the incident.

1. Florida Best Friends Often Visited Park With Sand Pit

On the afternoon of Jan. 11, George Watts and Derrick Hubbard left Hubbard’s home to dig at the sand pit. The boys often visited the area to play, deputies said.

2. Sun Pit Collapse: Mother Reported Teens Missing After Calls Went

When it was time for lunch, Destiny Rogers called her son’s cellphone. Neither boy answered. She proceeded to call her fiancé to check on them at the sand pit. Once there, he saw the children’s bikes and shoes, but no signs of the two teens. She asked her fiancé to check the pit, and he found their bikes and shoes but not the teens.

3. Mother Began Digging Before Emergency Call Was Placed

Rogers told deputies she “feared for the worst” and rushed to the site. She began digging in the sand before the frantic call for help was made, according to the incident report.

4. Sand Tunnel Collapse: First Responders Found First Boy Alive but Not Breathing

Within 20 minutes, fire crews located Watts under the collapsed tunnel. Officials said the boys dug a four‑ to five‑foot hole before it caved in. The first child had a pulse but was not breathing on his own, and crews transported him to a hospital for emergency care.

5. Second Boy Was Found Without a Pulse and Later Died

Teams continued digging and located Hubbard without a pulse. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities said both boys were trapped under the collapsed sand and could not escape.

6. Florida best friends, 14, donate organs

One of the teens, George Watts, donated his organs, Fox 13 reported. The hospital held an honor walk for the teen on Jan. 14 before the procedure.

7. School and Families Describe Loss as “Unimaginable”; GoFundMe started

Inverness Middle School, where both boys attended, issued a statement expressing the deaths a “tragedy” and offered grief support.

Watts’ stepmother, Jasmine, described the collapse as an “unimaginable nightmare that every parent fears” in a GoFundMe post. She wrote that the boys were “inseparable, full of life, curiosity, and dreams for the future.”

A GoFundMe has been created by Watts’ family for those who wish to support as both families navigate this unfortunate loss.