Indiana Girl: Sloan Mattingly, Who Tragically Died in a Sand Collapse at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea beach

True Crime Lounge
4 min readFeb 22, 2024
Indiana Girl: Sloan Mattingly, Who Tragically Died in a Sand Collapse at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea beach

On a fateful day at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea beach, a devastating incident unfolded that claimed the life of a young girl. The girl, identified as Sloan Mattingly, was just seven years old when she tragically lost her life in a sand hole collapse. This heartbreaking event occurred while Sloan and her nine-year-old brother, Maddox Mattingly, were enjoying a family vacation from their hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Tragic Incident

According to authorities from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the incident took place on a sunny afternoon. The siblings were happily digging a hole on the beach, unaware of the hidden danger lurking beneath the surface. Suddenly, the sand around them collapsed, trapping both children. Maddox managed to escape with his life, although he was buried up to his chest. Tragically, Sloan bore the brunt of the collapse and was completely covered by the sand.

Emergency personnel responded swiftly to the distress call, but the absence of lifeguards at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea beach meant that bystanders had to take immediate action. Heart-wrenching video footage captured the frantic efforts of beachgoers as they desperately tried to dig Sloan out using their bare hands and buckets. However…

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