A former Major League Baseball prospect has died a hero after leaping into treacherous waters in South Carolina to save a family of five – a final act of selflessness that unfolded in front of his own wife and children.
Anderson “Chase” Childers, 39, was on holiday with his wife, Nataley, and their three young children when he was swept away by a powerful rip current on Sunday afternoon. The family had been vacationing at Pawleys Island, just south of Myrtle Beach.
Childers, a former minor league baseball player and police officer, jumped into action when a woman asked for help rescuing swimmers caught in the current. According to his family, he did not hesitate.
“His first responder instincts kicked in and he went to the water to save people,” said Pawleys Island Police Chief Michael Fanning.
Together with another good Samaritan, Childers successfully helped the stranded swimmers – a family of five – back to shore. But moments later, he vanished beneath the waves, pulled under by the same current he had bravely entered.
The US Coast Guard recovered his body approximately 90 minutes later.
Born in Nashville and raised in Georgia, Childers had played baseball for North Cobb Christian High School and Georgia State University. In 2009, he joined the Baltimore Orioles’ minor league system as a second baseman and shortstop, before leaving the sport to pursue a career in law enforcement. He was later honoured with a Life Saving Award from the Cobb County Police Department in 2013.
“We are saddened to learn of Chase’s passing, and send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” a Baltimore Orioles spokesperson said in a statement.
Childers’ death marks the fifth drowning at Pawleys Island since June 2023, and the second in the past month, according to local station WCBD-TV.
A GoFundMe page launched to support the Childers family has raised more than $225,000 AUD as of Friday morning.
“As a devoted husband and father, he displayed extraordinary courage and selflessness,” the fundraiser stated. “In a heroic act, he saved a family of five in a moment of crisis… putting their lives above his own. His bravery, kindness and love will always be remembered.”
Images: GoFundMe
