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Family Believes Heat Killed Young Boys

343 views · Published 30 June 2012 · 2:20 · Indexed 23 October 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

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by John Madewell  Bradley County investigators are trying to figure out what have caused the death of a 3-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother.The extended family of 3-year-old River and 5-year-old Leland Bates believe the scorching heat factored into this tragedy.     NewsChannel 9 spoke this afternoon with the boys' great great grandmother Debbie Burgess. "They was out playing and they got too hot and just passed out. They don't know how long they was laying out there," Burgess said.River died Thursdat at Sky Ridge Medical Center and Leland was flown by LifeForce to Children's at Erlanger. He passed away late this afternoon."They'd come out here right smart, I was fairly close to them. They was sweet little boys."Yesterday, their mother, Tasha Moses, found them unresponsive outside at their 879 Keith Valley Road home. According to the Bradley County Sheriff's Office, Moses didn't have a phone so she took them to her father's nearby home and called 911.She reported a possible drowning, but public information officer Bob Gault said, "In the area where this happened there was no pond and there was no lake. Beyond that, we're not commenting  about what else may have been at the residence."Eric Blach of the Bradley County Medical Examiner's Office said the boys core body temperatures were "profoundly" hot. Gault said, "At this point in the investigation, we have ruled out nothing. Hopefully, the autopsy when that is completed and the results are available to us that may help shed some light."During this time of tragedy, Burgess has stayed in touch with her daughter. She and other family have been at Leland's side through the day. "She says I just can't stand it, I said 'Yeah, you can stand it. The Lord won't put more on you than you can stand,' but oh it's going to be hard."The family tells us that the tragedy is heat-related and doesn't involve drowning. Meanwhile,

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