Mother seeking stranger who rescued her 5-year-old daughter from drowning

Published in print and online in Wisconsin State Journal

Amiyah Vance, a shy yet energetic 5-year-old, slid down a slide at Winnequah Park in Monona on Friday, just a few yards away from where she nearly drowned the day before.

Amiyah pointed to the scene, a marshy creek surrounded by a thicket of tall grasses, and nodded her head in agreement that she was scared at the time. Had it not been for the heroism of a stranger, who jumped in the water to rescue her, Amiyah’s mother Cheri Cedarwall said she may not have survived.

Now, Cedarwall is hoping to find the man who saved her daughter. Two witnesses at the park, she said, have already contacted her to help provide details of the rescue.

“Both have said that he was there in an instant and didn’t hesitate,” Cedarwall said with tears in her eyes. “He’s a hero, and I’m so thankful that he was in the right place at the right time.”

According to Cedarwall, who was at work at the time of the incident, Amiyah and her two siblings were visiting the park with their father William Vance, who declined to comment but “feels terrible for what happened.” When he finished escorting his daughter Aryanna and Amiyah’s 10-year-old brother Lamont Nichols out of his car on Thursday, Cedarwall said, Amiyah was already gone in the mere seconds that Vance turned his back.

Amiyah dashed toward the playground out of excitement as soon as they arrived at the park, Lamont explained. When she disappeared, he assumed she was already playing on the equipment.

“I heard Aryanna scream,” Lamont recalled. “Then I looked down and Amiyah was in the water flailing, trying to get out.”

What appeared to be a shallow, flat area was actually quite deep, Cedarwall said, making it impossible for Amiyah to tread the water or gain her footing.

“From my understanding, the water was up to her forehead,” she said. “It’s murky and it’s muddy, so for a 5-year-old to keep balance, it’s not really sufficient.”

Fortunately for Amiyah, a stranger bounded into the creek to pull her out to safety.

“I was just about to jump in to get her,” Lamont said, “but then, a guy ran over, hopped in, grabbed her and got her out.”

He also said the man came just before his other sister Aryanna was at the edge of the water, preventing her from falling in.

In the midst of the scene, Lamont said the man lost his shoes and glasses, then left without the family getting the chance to learn his name.

“I’d like to replace those items, just as a thank you,” Cedarwall said. “It doesn’t mean much — replacing shoes and glasses — but for me, it’s everything because that’s my child and had he not been there, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Cedarwall has since taken to social media to share Amiyah’s story, in hopes that someone may be able to identify the man or that the stranger will come forward. So far, more than a thousand people have shared the message.

According to Cedarwall, she is overwhelmed by the community’s kindness. In a way, she said, the stranger has done even more than save her daughter’s life — he has reminded people that goodness can be found in even the most unexpected places.

“He really restored a little bit of human kindness,” she said. “I think everyone needs that right now with everything going on in the world.”