The father of Lin’ajah Brooker, the 6-year-old girl who was swept away in the Chester Creek, spoke for the first time about losing his daughter.
“That was my angel. We gave her the nickname Montez face, because she looks exactly like me,” Montez Brooker, Lin’ajah’s father, said.
Last Saturday, Lin’ajah was playing with her cousins along the Chester Creek in Delaware County when she slipped into the water. She has not been seen since.
“She was a sweetheart. Her favorite thing was gymnastics. So she would just flip around. Do what a normal little six year old would do,” Brooker said.
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The Chester Creek runs behind several row homes near where Lin’ajah fell into the water.
Neighbors say during storms, like it was Saturday night, the water level can reach several feet on the shore with strong currents that dump into the Delaware River about a mile downstream.
On Tuesday, crews suspended search efforts for Lin’ajah saying they exhausted all available resources.
“I was angry because I still feel she is still out there,” Brooker said. “But in reality, she gone. She’s gone.”
This was another painful loss for Brooker who also lost his 3-year-old daughter five years ago.
Brooker shared photos of his daughters during an interview with NBC10's Johnny Archer.
“Her name was Lin’yah Brooker. She passed away March 24, 2019. The same exact day as Lin’ajah,” Brooker said.
“If I had the ability to bring them back I would and I would hold them for the rest of my life. But I can't even hold them no more. I can't hold her no more,” he said.
