Girl's devastating last screams to dad as she drowned in Michigan river while trying to save her nine-year-old cousin

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:50, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 17:50, 29 June 2026 A father has been left distraught after his teen daughter drowned in Michigan waters while trying to rescue her cousin, as he revealed her haunting final words.  Glenn Bradley, 38, said he has been left 'numb' after 14-year-old Aamina Bradley drowned in the river at Maheras-Gentry Park in Detroit while rescuing her nine-year-old cousin.  'My daughter was my baby girl, she was my everything. So right now I'm numb,' Bradley told WXYZ.  The torn-up father-of-three said his family had been in the park celebrating a graduation on Saturday when Aamina's younger cousin fell into the water.  The heroic teen jumped in after her cousin and tried to rescue them, but quickly realized she wasn't able to make her way back to the shore.  'Her last words were "dad help me," she looked at me. When I went out there, she disappeared, she went under and never came back up,' Bradley told the outlet.  'Somebody had to save me because I was drowning.' Bystanders pulled the nine-year-old from the waters, while police searched the waters for hours before pulling the teen's body out of the river, according to the outlet.  Glenn Bradley, 38, said he has been left 'numb' after 14-year-old Aamina Bradley (pictured) drowned in the river at Maheras-Gentry Park in Detroit while rescuing her nine-year-old cousin The teen's father Glenn Bradley (pictured speaking to a local station about the tragedy) leapt in to try and save his daughter Bystanders pulled the nine-year-old from the waters, while police searched for hours before finding Aamina's body The selfless teen, a sister to two brothers, 'loved the water,' according to her grief-stricken father.  'I'd take her to the pool, she would swim, different things like that, they'd play games...just in the river, in that type of setting, in that current, it pulls you out,' Bradley said.  His family are now left grieving Aamina, who had dreams of becoming a scientist, her father said.  'Everybody tore up but they maintaining,' he said.  'At the end of the day, my daughter, she was a warrior, she had a beautiful heart. She had the most beautiful smile.'  Aamina's step-mother described the teen as 'so full of life, loving, caring' and 'funny.' 'I'm so sorry Babi,' she wrote on Facebook.  The heroic teen, a sister to two brothers, jumped in after her cousin and tried to rescue them, but quickly realized she wasn't able to make her way back to the shore. She is pictured here in an older photo Bradley said Aamina, who he described as his 'everything,' had dreams of becoming a scientist and 'loved the water' Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield said in a statement: 'A young girl lost her life in the water at Meharas-Gentry Park. There are no words adequate to ease the grief her family is carrying today. 'No family should ever have to endure the loss of a child. The city sends our heartfelt condolences to the family.' The Daily Mail contacted the Detroit Police Department and attempted to reach the Bradley family but have not yet received a response. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.