Mum of boy who died in River Kelvin pays tribute to 'forever 15' son
The mum of a teenage boy who died in a river in Glasgow said "her heart is broken" in a moving tribute to her son.
Emilis Vanagas, 15, died in the River Kelvin near Maryhill Road on July 12.
Emergency services including a rescue helicopter were called to the river in the west of the city at 6.40pm.
The schoolboy was pulled from the water after a five-hour search. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
His mum Daiva Daivute, from Maryhill, led the tributes to her son who had celebrated his 15th birthday last month.
She said: "My heart is broken, my dear son.
"I am very proud of him, the light of my life that went out too soon.
"We are very sad that his life ended so tragically. He still had a lot to do in his life, we will miss him very much.
"I would do anything to get him back in our lives.
"Always re membered and never forgotten. Forever 15."
The circumstances behind how the teenager, known as "Emz" to pals, ended up in the water remain unclear.
Devastated loved ones took to social media to hail the youngster "a hero".
Emilis' aunt, Ema Kaftanikaitė said: "Our family is heartbroken. We lost my beloved nephew Emilis far too soon – he was only 15 years old.
"His life was full of love, laughter, and dreams that will now remain unfulfilled. No parent should ever have to bury their child.
"We want to give him the farewell he deserves – with love, dignity, and peace. Rest in peace, sweet Emilis – we will never forget you."
His aunt Patrycja Majewska said: "Emilis had just celebrated his 15th birthday and he had his whole of his life ahead of him.
"His parents tragically got the news on Saturday and found Emilis in the river close to their house.
"Unfortunately he was pronounced dead at the scene. He lost his life but saved two other lives and always will be remembered as a hero.
"His parents are devastated after this tragic loss."
His uncle Martinas Kaftanikas added: "Love you forever, my boy."
Molly Gibbs said: "I am devastated with the news of what happened. "He was the sweetest boy ever and I can't believe he is gone. Everyone loved him and he died a hero." Sophia Moss Muir said: 'He was genuinely the nicest boy I've met."He was always making sure everyone was okay and died a hero.I can't believe he's gone." Michael Dorran said: "I was one Emilis' first pals when he moved to Cleveden. "I am devastated about this, and will do everything I can to make him proud up there."He'll never be forgotten. He'd always put others before himself and died a hero and will be remembered."
Local youth project G20 also paid tribute to the youngster. They said: "Our community is mourning the loss of a 15-year-old boy whose life was taken far too soon. As you can imagine, no family is ever prepared for something like this."
Family and friends will gather to remember the teen at a balloon release in the Celtic-daft teen's memory at the Stockingfield Bridge in Maryhill at 5:30pm on Saturday, July 19.
Wellwishers have donated more than £2000 to a fundraiser to help his family with funeral costs.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Around 6.40pm on Saturday, 12 July, 2025, a search and rescue operation was launched following a report of a 15-year-old male in the River Kelvin, near Maryhill Road, Glasgow.
"Emergency services attended and around 11.30pm the body of a male was recovered from the water.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
What Neil Lennon told ex-Celtic star Paddy McCourt about the ordeal of having bullets sent to him in post
He and another team mate were targeted whilst playing for Celtic WARNING SHOT What Neil Lennon told ex-Celtic star Paddy McCourt about the ordeal of having bullets sent to him in post Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORMER Celtic winger Paddy McCourt has opened up on the moment he was sent bullets in the post - and how his manager Neil Lennon helped him through it. Lennon was in his first spell as Hoops manager when he was the target of a similar attack in January 2011. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 2 Paddy McCourt in action during his time at Celtic Credit: Kenny Ramsay - The Sun Glasgow Just days later McCourt, from Derry in Northern Ireland, was on the receiving end of a similar sick threat. A third Northern Irishman at the club at that time, Niall McGinn, was also targeted. The envelope addressed to McCourt was found by staff at a Royal Mail sorting office in the east end of Glasgow on January 12 2011. He admits that Lennon's calmness in the face of the threats helped him too stay calm, particularly given his family were panicking. What made them even more worried was the fact they were back in Ireland at the time, with the bullets having been sent from a Northern Ireland postcode. Speaking on the Let Me Be Frank podcast, McCourt said: "At the time Lenny was the manager and he'd obviously suffered pretty high profile incidents like that before. "So having him there I had the ability to speak to him about it and his experiences on it, and you know he was pretty calm with it. "That helped me become calm with it and you know, it was just one of them things. "Thankfully it was a bit of a storm in a tea cup and nothing ever came from it and it seemed to disappeared pretty quickly. "But I think what he said was strange, you know, it was a strange thing to happen. Edouard to return and Schmeichel's last year at Celtic Plus Munteanu LATEST "And it was difficult at the time because my family were still obviously back in Ireland like my mum, my brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. "My mum was pretty worried and stuff, but, as I say, thankfully it went away quite as it came." 2 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Police Scotland warns sexual predators to 'get help or get caught'
The laws, part of the Online Safety Act, come into effect on Friday, July 25. They require tech companies to take steps to protect children from illegal content and activities such as child sexual abuse, controlling or coercive behaviour, extreme pornography, and intimate image abuse. This warning from the force follows the announcement by Police Scotland's Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation unit that, from April 2024 to July 2025, it conducted 863 investigations resulting in 604 arrests, with measures taken to protect 815 children. Read more: Celtic outcast poised for surprise move to club in 'big five league' Detective Superintendent Nicola McGovern said: "Children are increasingly using games, apps, sites and streaming services and living more of their lives online. "That means it's never been easier for strangers to connect with children and on some platforms, it can take just 30 seconds for a predatory adult to contact a child. "Online child sexual abuse and exploitation through technology is an increasing problem in Scotland and officers from our National Child Abuse Investigation Unit work tirelessly to prevent children becoming victims and we will use all means at our disposal to search for and identify offenders. "Any measures that protect children online should be welcomed and our deterrence campaign work with partners gives us the chance to prevent abuse before it happens, by diverting potential perpetrators from committing offences." Police Scotland is also re-launching its "Get Help or Get Caught" online child sexual abuse prevention campaign. This initiative, in partnership with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland's Stop It Now service, offers anonymous advice and support to prevent offending. The child protection charity has partnered with Police Scotland since 2018 to run campaigns targeting those who pose the highest risk of harm to children. Stuart Allardyce, director of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland, said: "The reasons for viewing sexual images of children or engaging in online grooming are complex, and many people recognise that what they are doing is wrong. "Often, they feel trapped in a cycle of compulsive behaviour. "Seeking individualised, anonymous, and non-judgmental support is absolutely the right step to take. "We work with hundreds of people who are worried about their sexual thoughts or behaviour online or who have been arrested for offences involving children. "We can help you stop and move on from offending or potential criminal behaviour, helping to protect and keep children safe." The Get Help or Get Caught campaign will run on social media channels from Wednesday, July 23, for six weeks.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Scotsman
Family of Scots teen who died after being hit by car pay tribute to ‘beautiful boy'
The family are urging witnesses to come forward Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The family of a teenager who died after being hit by a car have paid tribute to their 'beautiful boy' as police launch a renewed appeal for information and dashcam footage. Aiden McLuckie, 14, was hit by a Vauxhall Corsa at the bridge over the Cessnock Water on the A76 near Hurlford, on the outskirts of Kilmarnock, at around 5.10pm on July 16. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In a statement released by Police Scotland, the boy's family said: 'Aiden was the most loyal, loving, kind and caring wee guy you could ever meet and we will be left with a massive hole in our family that will never be filled we honestly don't know how we will continue on without you in our lives. 'Rest in peace our beautiful boy, gone far too soon.' They thanked the emergency services who attended the scene and urged anyone with information to come forward, saying even the 'smallest detail' could help the investigation. Aiden McLuckie has been described by his family as "loving" and "kind" | Police Scotland A memorial fundraiser for the 14-year-old has raised over £10,000, with reports that Celtic-fan Sir Rod Stewart was among those who have donated cash. His family said the messages of support they had received from the community 'mean the world at this devastating time'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sergeant Brian Simpson said: 'Our thoughts remain with Aiden's family and we remain in regular contact with them as our investigation continues.' 'We are continuing to appeal for information and in the course of our investigation we have established that there may have been more vehicles in the area at the time than we initially thought.' He is urging any drivers in the area around the time of the incident to review their dashcam footage from between 5pm and 5.10pm, and to contact the police with any relevant information. Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 2706 of Wednesday July 16.
