BONAIRE, Ga. — Houston County Commissioner Mark Byrd on Friday released two statements on the death of a 9-year-old girl in a Bonaire subdivision.
Byrd says his company, Riverbend North, is the developer of the neighborhood where the girl was allegedly run over by a piece of construction equipment.
In his statement, Byrd said his heart goes out to the girl's family, and he's aware of people's concerns and questions about the accident.
This week, people told 13WMAZ that Riverbend neighbors were concerned about construction equipment left near their homes.
A statement on behalf of his company says they're cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.
Byrd said a Warner Robins company, CSM Construction, owned the motor grader that allegedly ran over the girl.
He says that the company is also cooperating with law enforcement.
We've also reached out to the CSM this afternoon for comment, and we have not heard back yet.
13WMAZ also received a third statement this afternoon from WCH Homes, the company building homes in Riverbend. Our stories this week incorrectly identified them as the project developer.
Their statement says they are not the developer or owners of the motor grader and are not connected to the accident in any way.
WCH wrote, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this precious little girl as well as with her friends and the neighborhood.”
A 13WMAZ reporter this week visited the WCH office, where staff declined to comment.
Here are the complete statements from Byrd, his company and from WCH Homes.
Mark Byrd Statement:
I am profoundly saddened by the tragic incident that took place on Monday evening at the Riverbend North residential subdivision, where I serve as a private citizen as the developer. As both a parent and a member of our community, my heart goes out to the family enduring an unimaginable loss, and my thoughts and prayers are with them.
I am fully aware of the community's concerns and questions during this challenging time. I want to emphasize my unwavering commitment to address these concerns with empathy and thoroughness, collaborating closely with all stakeholders involved.
I would like to reiterate my heartfelt sympathies to the affected family and pledge my dedication to support them and unite our community as we navigate through this tragedy together.
Riverbend North:
As the landowner, it is with profound sadness that we address the recent tragic incident involving the accidental death of a child on our property within the Riverbend North residential land development. Our hearts go out to the affected family, and we extend our deepest condolences during this unimaginably difficult time. We are fully cooperating with local law enforcement and authorities in their ongoing investigation. Our aim is in collaboration with the site contractor and equipment owner, CSM Construction, to assist the investigators in every possible way to determine the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.
In clarification to what has been previously reported, as the homebuilder in the Riverbend North Subdivision, WCH Homes was not involved in or responsible for the site development of the property.
WCH Homes
Unfortunately, you misinterpreted WCH Homes’ unavailability to comment on the incident that resulted in the death of the little girl to mean that our company has some form of involvement with this incident. The reason we did not comment is that we have no direct knowledge of the incident. It did not occur on any property that we own. We are not the developer of the subdivision. We did not own the equipment in question. We have no contractual relationship with the owners of the equipment.
We request that you retract the statement which indicates that WCH Homes, Inc. is the developer of the subdivision. We also request that you retract any implicit comments that WCH Homes, Inc. was involved in this tragic incident in any way. The retraction should be in the same manner and method as the report disseminated to the public intimating that WCH Homes, Inc. was involved in this incident.
We at WCH Homes, Inc. are deeply saddened by this incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this precious little girl, as well as with her friends and the neighborhood.