Vigil held for boys electrocuted in Fort Worth park

FORT WORTH, Texas - The family of two boys electrocuted in a Fort Worth park says they may never have the answers they want.

12-year-old Alex and 11-year-old Isaiah Lopez were in a wooded area at Oakland Lake Park on Wednesday when they came across a power line. One brother became trapped. The other tried to rescue him.

Family and friends of the young boys gathered on Friday at the spot where the brothers died.

“I can't remember all of the good times because I lost count,” Juan Hernandez wrote to his friends. “I love you guys.”

11-year-old Juan was just one of dozens of people who showed up the park to pay their respects to the boys. Among the mourners were the boy's father and stepmother. They were too distraught to talk. The boy's uncle, Jorge Lopez, spoke for them.

“It’s amazing to me just how small the pond really is when there’s a ripple,” he said. “It touches so many around us. It’s a good feeling, and it’s encouraging. It’s strengthening.”

An Oncor spokesman says a special operations team is trying to figure out how long the energized power line was down in an area the city parks and recreation director calls a "very remote, low-traffic area.”

The city says the downed line was not reported to 911 and that city workers surveyed the park after Wednesday's storms but did not search remote areas.

“There’s some details we may never have totally clear,” Lopez said. “There's things that we won't understand and probably can’t. To be honest, at this point, we’re not ever ready to start asking questions.”

The boy's former stepmother says Alex had stepped into a puddle when the shock from a nearby downed power line electrocuted him. His younger brother Isiah was nearby and died trying to save him.

“For as much as we would love one more hug and one more kiss, maybe you know one more time to shoot some baskets are something we just can't,” Lopez said. “And we have to understand that God's will is greater than ours and that we may never understand the why behind it, but we need to trust that His reasons are good.”

The Oncor spokesman couldn’t give a timeline as to when the investigation could be complete.

The family is holding a public visitation for the boys on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Greenwood Funeral Home in Fort Worth. The funeral service will be held on Monday at 3 p.m.