Jasmine and JaCora Lashale Morris

From left, Carnegie heroes Jasmine and JaCora Lashale Morris

Two teen sisters entered near-freezing water to save two young boys from drowning after the boys broke through the ice of a retention pond situated in their West Des Moines, Iowa, apartment complex on Feb. 25, 2023. The boys, who were about 9 years old, struggled in water 6 feet deep at a point about 10 feet from the nearest bank. After calling out for her sister, Jasmine Morris, 15, entered the frigid water and swam to one of the boys. She attempted to break a path through the ice with her elbow, but failing to do that, she pushed the boy up onto the ice, so he could crawl to the safety of the bank. By then, Jasmine’s sister, JaCora Lashale Morris, 17, had entered the pond and pulled the other boy, who was sinking, up to the surface of the water. JaCora struggled to push the boy up onto the ice due to the weight of a backpack he wore. JaCora removed the backpack, letting it sink, and then pushed him up onto the ice. A bystander helped JaCora from the water, while Jasmine exited on her own. The sisters suffered minor cuts on their arms and legs but were otherwise uninjured.