David Sosa had no children of his own but was a family man who spent his free time with loved ones and enjoyed playing with the children in his family, according to his sister Catalina Sosa.
Sosa, 39, was remodeling a pool at a home in Potomac on July 17 when he drowned, according to a GoFundMe page created July 20 by Catalina Sosa. She was unable to confirm the company that he was working for when his death occurred. Sosa’s death was verified by MoCo360 with police and fire and rescue services.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have come to lose a wonderful soul from this Earth. David Sosa was my brother, a friend to many, an uncle and a son,” Catalina Sosa wrote.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) personnel responded to a report of drowning at a home in the 10500 block of Unity Lane around 8 p.m., according to MCFRS dispatch.
When they arrived on scene, they found Sosa, who had been removed from the water, in cardiac arrest, according to Daniel Ogren, Assistant Chief for MCFRS. CPR was provided, but Sosa did not survive, Ogren said.
Ogren added that the police were then called to the scene to investigate, and the Medical Examiner was also requested.
Sosa’s body was transported to the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) for an autopsy, according to an email sent from Montgomery County Police Detective Sarah White to Sosa’s niece, Diana Sosa, on July 18.
“There is no indication at all that this was anything other than a tragic accident, but the OCME likes to conduct a thorough investigation,” White said in the email.
Catalina Sosa told MoCo360 that she did not know enough information about the incident and is still waiting to hear the results from the autopsy to see what happened the evening he died. White said it could take a few weeks to get the autopsy results back since toxicology screenings can take a long time.
Catalina Sosa said that while on the phone with a detective who was at the scene that day, she didn’t want to believe her brother died and wanted to go to the scene to see him. By the time she was on the phone with detectives at the scene, it was too late, as his body was en route to Baltimore for an autopsy.
She and her family were not prepared for his death and do not have enough money to send his body to their home country, Catalina Sosa told MoCo360. As of 4:45 p.m. on July 25, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $3,000 of its $8,000 goal.
The fund was set up by Sosa’s siblings and nieces, Sosa’s sister said, in hopes that it will help to cover the costs of the funeral, medical expenses and bringing his body to El Salvador where his parents still reside.
Sosa came to the United States 12 years ago from San Dionisio in El Salvador, according to his sister. He resided in Adelphi in Prince George’s County, and his work entailed repairing roofs, installing floors and remodeling homes.