MARINETTE (NBC 26) — The Marinette community gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor 13-year-old Jakob Bowerman, who died after a drowning incident at Government Pier that his family believes was not an accident.
Noah Cornelius was there and met some of those who knew Jakob personally.
Jakob died on Aug. 23, three days after police and first responders rescued him from the water near the Marinette pier on Aug. 20.
The vigil drew profound sadness from the entire Marinette community.
It didn't matter if they were young or old, man or women, or whether they knew Jakob or not.
Aiden Teasdele, a 12-year-old friend of Jakob, was among those mourning at the pier where the vigil was held.
"It feels sad that Jakob died. I felt like no one should go through this at all. Anymore," Teasdele said through tears.
Jakob's mother, Taylor Singer, described her son as someone who brought joy to others despite facing challenges.
"He would always make you laugh, he'd make you cry from laughing so hard. He was just my baby, the perfect kid," Singer said.
Singer said her son had been bullied throughout his life because he was autistic and had a speech impediment. She said Jakob could not swim and would never have entered the water voluntarily.
"Jakob wouldn't jump into that water. I got a call the next day saying that what those kids said were not true, that he was actually pushed into the water," Singer said.
Marinette police arrested a 16-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man on Monday in connection with the drowning. Police have not released the suspects' names or specified what charges they face as the investigation continues.
Singer said her son had only known the 16-year-old for a couple of days before the incident and didn't know the adult suspect at all.
Rhiannon Singer, Jakob's cousin, described him as "the sweetest little boy I've ever met" and also said he had a fear of water.
"He had a fear of the water and he couldn't swim, so he would not just willingly go out there and jump in the water," Rhiannon Singer said.
The family believes Jakob's death resulted from bullying and is seeking justice.
"We want justice for Jakob, justice for any other child that is being bullied. God forbid, we don't want anything like this to ever happen to somebody. No parent should ever have to bury their child," Rhiannon Singer said.
Melissa Barber helped organize the vigil, saying she just wanted to stand up for the community and set an example.
"My son's actually autistic too. Him and Jakob both suffer from Asperger's. He befriended Jakob immediately, and he was so happy because he has a hard time making friends," Barber said.
Police say the drowning incident took place just after 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 at the Government Pier in Marinette. Officers retrieved the 13-year-old boy from the water and emergency workers attempted lifesaving efforts. Bowerman was later taken to a hospital in Green Bay, where he died on Saturday.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
