THE sister of a young woman who allegedly drowned trying to save a little boy at ex-MLB player Carl Crawford's home says "she always put other people first" and did not know the five year old.

Bethany Lartigue, 24, reportedly jumped in to save the boy during a gathering at the star's house in north Houston, Texas on Saturday afternoon.

Houston Police confirmed the victims were unconscious on arrival and paramedics desperately tried to revive them.

They were transported to Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

The Sun can reveal the second victim has now been identified as five-year-old Kasen Hersi, while autopsy results for the pair are still pending.

Tributes have been posted on Twitter by friends of his mother, Jazmin Hernandez, well-known in Houston as model Slim Marie.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Bethany's sister Denise said: "I'm still trying to process everything. I was sad of course, but proud of her because she always put other people first.

"Everyone who met Bethany knew she was a special person and she always had a smile on her face, and made everyone else smile around her."


Denise says Bethany did not know little Kasen, who was being cared for by adults at the party, organized to celebrate the success of Carl's record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment.

She says they are yet to speak to his family and are still coming to terms with what happened as they piece together the tragic events of the weekend.

"I know she loved the water, but anyone knows if you're going in to save anyone who's drowning you're putting yourself at risk," Denise said.

"When people are scared they get frantic and grab onto the person trying to help them and push them under.

"It's really not recommended to jump in and save people like that, it's recommended to throw in some kind of floatation device."

Denise said she has been "touched" by the outpouring of tributes for her heroic sister, and has launched a Go Fund Me account to raise money for Bethany's funeral, which has already reached $3,330 in just two days.

In a statement sent out by Crawford's rep, the former sportsman revealed he is in "complete shock" over the tragedy.

"This weekend, a terrible accident occurred at my residence resulting in the tragic loss of two precious lives," he said.

"It's devastating, I'm in complete shock and don't really know how to move forward in this moment because my heart aches so deeply for the families.

"After I reached out directly to the families to express my condolences and willingness to stand side by side with them as they grieve through this difficult process, I agreed to share this joint statement on their behalf.

"We are heartbroken and deeply saddened by our loss. We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for all those involved, as we begin the difficult grieving process ahead.

"Out of respect for the lives that have been lost, we ask that you provide us the necessary privacy required to grieve and properly mourn the loss of our loved ones. Please keep the families in your prayers."

A series of clips posted on Instagram Story by rapper Erica Banks, who is signed to Carl's record label, show her and Lartigue, 24, partying with the sportsman and friends on Friday night before the tragedy.

They can be seen twerking, smoking, and holding up a bottle of Hennessy while celebrating at the plush property.

On Sunday, the rapper shared a post on Instagram featuring a number of videos of them together, as she paid tribute to the tattooed beauty.

She wrote: "i can’t believe this man, you promised you’d never leave my side, we said we’d die together. you made me love myself more, you always told me i was your favorite person, & you made my life 10x more fun, even if it was just goin down the street for food. ppl always say they loved our chemistry man. you were the only person i wanted. we were so happy. thank you so much for coming into my life and making me your special girl. forever my love @geaux_yella."

Tatanisha Young revealed Lartigue was also a professional football player with Arlington Impact, telling The Sun: "This hurts in so many ways for me and my team. She was so loved."

Team owner Dee Fuller shared on Saturday: "Beth, you are a hero! You died today in an attempt to save a child’s life. I wish we had more time to hang….. more time to catch up…… more time to just chill, laugh and be goofy!

"There was never a dull moment."

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