Woman, 25, drowns with 5-year-old boy after jumping into pool to save him at MLB all-star Carl Crawford’s party
HUSTON, TEXAS: A 25-year-old woman who died by drowning in the pool of ex-MLB player Carl Crawford was identified by media outlets as Bethany Lartigue.
Lartigue, as well as a five-year-old boy in her care, died on Saturday afternoon during a gathering at the athlete's Texas house. The woman is believed to have jumped into the pool after she observed the little boy fall in. In the bid to save him, both the woman and the child drowned. According to reports, the paramedics arrived at the scene and tried to resuscitate the victims but failed.
Rapper Erica Banks was also at the party at Crawford's house on the night before that ill-fated day and reportedly posted a series of clips on Instagram Story showing her and Lartigue partying with the sportsman and friends late on Friday. The attendees could be seen smoking, twerking on the dance floor, and at one point also holding up a bottle of Hennessy as they all celebrated the successful career of Banks, who is signed to Crawford’s record label
Following her death, the rapper paid a tribute to Lartigue, in an Instagram post featuring a series of her videos.
“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," Banks captioned it.
She shared the same montage on Twitter, with the caption: "I lost my baby today man, you meant the world to me dawg, we did everything together /: i love you Bethany, can’t wait to meet you heaven tink.”
There were conflicting reports about when the woman and child died. While local reports claimed that the pair died after being transported to the hospital, TMZ reported that the two died at the scene. One video footage of the incident showed Crawford walking outside his house to speak to the police. The incident took place around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 16.
It is unclear if Crawford was in violation of the stay-at-home orders issued due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Currently, gatherings of 10 or less are currently allowed in Houston. The ex-baseball player has not issued any statements regarding the matter. No further updates regarding the ongoing investigation were immediately known.
Crawford was released from the Los Angeles Dodgers after playing for the team from 2013 to 2016. After retiring from sports, he built an alternate career in music. He became the CEO of music label 1501 Certified Entertainment, which was the company that signed rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The 'Savage' rapper later sued the label to get out of her contract in March.