Even as they prepare to bury their son, the parents of William "Will" Eschenbach are taking time to thank the community for the tremendous outpouring of prayers, sympathy and support in the wake of the toddler's tragic death.
The body of the two-and-a-half year old was found late Wednesday morning in the South Tyger River about a mile from the family's home in Roebuck.
Sheriff Chuck Wright said the child was playing in the fenced-in backyard with an older sibling on Tuesday afternoon. He said their mother ducked inside "for just a minute" to check on her baby and when she returned, Will was gone. A massive search effort followed, with hundreds of people volunteering to help. It culminated in a sad ending when divers found Will's body submerged under water. The sheriff believes he simply fell in. The coroner ruled the cause of death as drowning.
On Thursday, News Channel 7 spoke with Will's aunt, Stephanie Eschenbach Morgan, the sister of Will's father, Paul. She says, "We are all overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of support from the community. During our greatest time of need, we have had complete strangers reaching out to help us and praying for us. We are very fortunate to live in a community where people come together during something like this. It really is amazing and it just pulls at our heart strings."
She went on to say Will's parents are doing as well as anyone could in this situation. But she says they are blaming themselves for what happened, even though they still have no idea how Will got out of the fenced-in yard. She said earlier reports that the toddler unlatched the gate were not true.
Memorial servies for William begin Friday night. The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Friday at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel on East Main Street in Spartanburg.
Will's funeral is Saturday at 11:00am at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Spartanburg with burial to follow at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, people are asked to donate money to Play Works, a center for children with sensory integration disorder, 340 Blalock Road, Boiling Springs, SC 29316.
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