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Who was Cassidy Murray? Family mourns Boston teen who died in Aruba boat accident

13-year-old Cassidy Murray's family released a heartbreaking statement along with her pictures

A 13-year-old Boston girl was killed in a "freak" boat accident while on holiday in Aruba with her family on Wednesday, March 23. According to the Patriot Ledger, the victim’s name is Cassidy Murray, a student of the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The facts surrounding her death have not been revealed owing to confidentiality reasons.

After confirming the tragedy with school officials, Cassidy's family posted a statement and a photo of her on Friday afternoon. The statement read, “It is with broken hearts that we share the news of the tragic passing of our daughter, Cassidy,” the Murray family added, “Cassidy's beautiful spirit, genuinely kind heart, bright mind, and joyful zest for life will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved her.” The family also said, “We thank everyone for their love and support and we ask that you please give us the time and space to grieve together privately during this difficult time.”

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Cassidy was a hockey player who also competed in gymnastics, according to Jennifer Price, the Head of the School. Cassidy had previously attended Milton's Pierce Middle School before transferring to Buckingham Browne & Nichols at the request of her brother, who is a 10th-grader there. Jennifer Price said, “[Cassidy] wasted no time creating her own unique mark on the MS campus. Her ever-present smile, infectious laugh, and upbeat personality knit together any group she was a part of.” She added, “Classmates gravitated to her because of her genuine kindness and quiet modesty. Her friends knew from the very first week of school that she would be a trusted, warm confidant with a great sense of fun and camaraderie.”

One of the neighbors and friends of the Murray family, Ed Keohane said, “She was just something that made the world a better place.” He continued, “It’s a total shock. It’s kind of like a horror movie screenplay has come to life. This was such a special little girl. She was someone that bounded down the street, played with the dog, would sit out on the front steps with her family. You could hear her laugh.” Ed also said that Cassidy used to babysit his son and daughter, “She was the first little girl my four-year-old told me that he was going to marry.” He concluded by saying, “So, to have to not only absorb the news yesterday but actually tell our kids that was probably the hardest thing that we’ve ever done as a mom and a dad.” As of Sunday morning, a GoFundMe set up on behalf of the Murray family had raised over $26,400.