LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.- Young love is often the hardest to let go, and Fort Myers teen Cheyenne is learning that first hand.
"He was my best friend and the person I love."
All she has now of her relationship with 17-year-old Elaundre Foster are videos and pictures. His last words to her, are now a haunting memory.
"Never take nobody for granted because when God's ready to take them he's going to take them, and that's the last thing he said to me," said Cheyenne. "I was supposed to see him on Friday or Saturday."
Sadly, that date will never come. Over the weekend, Elaundre's life was cut short while swimming with friends in a lake in Lehigh Acres. He was just 17.
"He shouldn't have died so young," said Cheyenne.
According to Cheyenne, the Palm Acres High School student wasn't a strong swimmer.
"He thought that he could pull through it because he's a big person."
His friend Alyssa Ratz, who was at the lake with him along with other friends, says they tried to help when he began to struggle..
"They told him please hop on our backs and kick. We will get you to shore but he wasn't corresponding," said Ratz.
Ratz says Elaundre began to hyperventilate as he tried to swim to a nearby island with friends. One of those friends, Dylan, was close to him as he struggled against underwater weeds.
"Dre was literally sinking and getting tied up in tangles. Dylan was right in front of Dre as Dre took his last breath and he watched him go down," said Ratz.
She still had his clothes in her truck, less than 24 hours after the tragedy. Fox 4's camera was rolling as she handed his things over to his girlfriend with a heartfelt hug.
"It's his stuff and it's all there is left," said Cheyenne.
