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Mother and son drown, 11-year-old rescued at Bertie County beach on Albemarle Sound

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published July 9, 2025 at 6:34 AM EDT
File: Bertie Beach in Merry Hill, where the Chowan River meets the Albemarle Sound.
Bertie County Government
File: Bertie Beach in Merry Hill, where the Chowan River meets the Albemarle Sound.

A mother and son drowned while swimming at a beach where the Chowan River meets the Albemarle Sound in Bertie County.

According to the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, an 11-year-old girl who was rescued from the water at Bertie Beach in Merry Hill said she and her mother, Shaunna Jernigan, were on floats when her 14-year-old brother, Timothy, who was swimming nearby, began to struggle.

The mother jumped off the float to help her son, and she became distressed as well.

An off-duty Bertie County EMS worker, the Merry Hill Fire Chief, and others rescued the girl and pulled the others from the water, but CPR was not successful.
Annette Weston
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston