Granger Smith's Wife Opens Up About Disturbing Messages She Received After Son's Tragic Death
Country star Granger Smith and his wife Amber suffered a tragic loss when their 3-year-old son, River, died in a drowning accident in 2019. He was found in the family swimming pool unresponsive and could not be saved after he was taken to the hospital. Granger later explained that River somehow managed to bypass the pool's locked gate without being seen by his parents and was in the water for about 2 minutes before they pulled him out, per TODAY. According to the Tennessean, the boy's death was investigated and ruled an accident.
Granger opened up about the tragedy during an interview on TODAY and said, "I was 20 feet away. He was outside of the locked gate with our other son. There wasn't music playing; there wasn't any kind of distractions," he continued, "It was just a quiet, 7 p.m. summer evening. It was so silent. There wasn't a splash; there wasn't any kind of call for help. I just saw him. I turned around, and I saw him."
The couple mourned their son and shared memories with him on social media after the tragic accident. Granger and Amber continued to keep the memory of their son alive through their work with nonprofits, and later started the River Kelly Fund, which has since raised over $400,000 for those in need. And while dealing with a tragic loss is never easy, some social media users have made this family's experience even more difficult.
Amber Smith forgives those who blame her for River's death
It's been three years since Granger and Amber Smith lost their son River in a tragic drowning accident and unfortunately, people still continue to blame and attack them for their son's death on social media. When Amber recently shared an encouraging comment for a family mourning their child on Instagram, she was met with a hateful message.
A social media user wrote (via People), "This makes me soooooo mad! Why would you be such irresponsible parents?!? Teach babies to swim, fence the pool, PROTECT your children! This is your fault, you KILLED your win [sic] kid. Truly disgusting." Amber responded on her Instagram Story with a Bible scripture and a comment saying, "I can't fault these people. We live in a fallen world," she continued, "It's taken me 3 years to not let these comments hurt me, but I forgive them. I am rooted in Jesus."
Amber also shared hateful direct messages on her Instagram Story from folks who blamed her for not supervising River, and accused her of trying to replace him with their infant son Maverick, per Page Six. She explained that even three years after River's tragic death, she still receives these messages. According to People, the couple's Christian faith and strong sense of spirituality has helped them cope with their loss over the past few years.