Man Charged In Drowning Deaths Of North Lauderdale Brothers

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The boyfriend of a woman whose two young sons drowned in a North Lauderdale pool at a condo complex has been charged with two counts of aggravated manslaughter.

John Lynn, 24, was arrested Tuesday. The Broward Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that they also have an arrest warrant for the mother of the children, Wildline Joseph.

Last May the boys, Branario Joseph, 5, and Ja'kye Joseph, 6, were found face down in the pool at the community pool of the Silver Palm condominiums complex at 1200 SW 50th Avenue.Detectives say surveillance video shows the kids running to the pool around 7:15 pm on May 22. They were found in the pool hours later.

"They were submerged in the water for almost two hours before they were discovered," said BSO Spokesperson Veda Coleman-Wright.

At the time, Joseph said the last she knew her boys were playing outside and the pool was locked. She said they must have jumped the gate. She added that Ja'kye was learning to swim and thought he could do it. She thinks Branario must have jumped in to save his brother.

The boys were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.

On Thursday, Wildline Joseph's brother told CBS 4 News that he had not heard that John Lynn was arrested. He also said the family continues to try and process the death of these two boys.

"Still trying to figure out what happened," he said.

A neighbor who did not want to show her face told CBS 4 News that John Lynn seemed to play a positive role in the boys' lives.

"He was very attentive to them," the neighbor said. "I saw him outside in the mornings making sure they got to school."

The neighbor said Lynn appeared devastated after the kids died.

"For like the next two weeks, (he was) crying. Crying," she said. "Couldn't be in the house."

BSO reminds the community that these drownings are 100% avoidable.

"There is no substitution for constant supervision," Coleman-Wright said.

BSO confirmed that Joseph, 23, has a history with BSO Child Protective Investigations Section and with the Department of Children and Families.

"There have been times when her children were taken away from her and times where she has gone through the proper programs and parenting skills and she has been reunited with her children," Coleman-Wright said.

Now, Lynn is in the Broward County Jail, held without bond and BSO wants to know where Wildline Joseph is so she can join him.

"If someone knows where she is, that they will give us a call or encourage her to turn herself in so that both she and her boyfriend can be held responsible for what happened," Coleman-Wright said.

If you know where Wildline Joseph is, you're asked to call the Broward Sheriff's Office or Crimestoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.