“I think yesterday was completely on God. When I couldn’t get to the water, I had nobody to call on but God,” Kiya explained. “He was right there.”
BELLA VISTA, Ark. — A Fayetteville 3-year-old that swept away by a waterfall earlier this week was rescued and walked away with minimal injuries, and her mom is now searching for the brave hero that saved her.
5NEWS spoke to Kiya Livingston, whose daughter Melody fell nearly 15 feet near Tanyard Creek on May 20.
“We went there to hike, have fun,” Kiya said. “We were going to go to the lakes, go swimming. I was like ‘let’s go to the waterfalls.'”
Kiya said this was the family’s third or fourth time visiting the spot, and that the water was higher than she had ever seen it before, likely due to recent storms.
“I was sitting on the rocks; she was standing on the bridge with her friends,” Kiya recalled. “They were throwing in rocks, and we told her not to get too close. Then somehow, she just stuck her foot in there, and she was gone.”
Kiya said they immediately took off searching for Melody.
“The current was my first though, but she was gone. By that moment, she was underwater, she had already fallen down.”
By the time Kiya and her sister made it to the bottom, they said Melody’s rescuer had already retrieved her from the water.
“The man that saved her had already jumped in and they said that she didn’t end up having to get CPR. She was thankfully fully wedged between a rock that held her underwater, held her in place, where he was able to scoop her up,” Kiya said.
Melody walked away from the incident without serious injuries. Kiya said it was a miracle from God.
“I think yesterday was completely on God. When I couldn’t get to the water, I had nobody to call on but God,” Kiya explained. “He was right there.”
Kiya said 3-year-old Melody will now see her fourth birthday on Sunday thanks to the man that saved her. Now, they’re hoping they can track down their hero.
“He saved my daughter’s life. So anything that we can do, if we can just say, thank you.”