AURORA, Colo. — The mother of a man who drowned in an Illinois lake last month remembered him as an adventurous soul with a great smile and an even better personality.
The family of 30-year-old Emaré Evans lives in Aurora. They said he moved to Illinois about four months ago.
"He was the only boy, the firstborn," said his mom, Rose Evans. "My son is gone. My only son is gone."
"I was just getting used to him being in Illinois," she said. "Every birthday, every holiday, we spent together."
On May 18, the Olney Police Department in Illinois responded to a swimmer who never came back to the surface at Borah Lake. Emaré's body was recovered a few hours later.
"From my understanding, he jumped in and he went too far or got carried too far and got caught in a current," Rose Evans said. "The coroner said once you get in a current five or six minutes, you most likely you won’t make it. The water is tempting to everybody. Just be careful."
She said her son knew how to swim.
Emaré's sister, Ayriss Smith, said she believed he could do anything.
"Really growing up, I wanted to be like him. He could do no wrong to me," she said. "He never skipped a beat, never missed a moment."
Ayriss's sister, Godess Smith, said did not get to say goodbye before Emaré left for Illinois.
"That's where I feel bad because I was mad at him," Godess said as she began to cry. "Now I'm mad at myself for being mad at him because I didn't see him one more time."
This family knows Emaré loved them dearly. He showed it by stopping by unannounced and bringing them presents when he could.
"He would always come with gifts," his mother said.
But the greatest gift Emaré gave was the one he left behind.
"This is the ultrasound of the baby. They will be expecting in January," Rose said as she showed a photo. She said Emaré's girlfriend is pregnant.
"He waited 30 years to have a kid," Ayriss said.
"Thankfully he gave us a little piece of his life," Godess added.
While Emaré will never get to spend time with his own kid, his family said they will do all they can to make sure his child knows who he was.
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