"How many people have to die?" Family blames child's drowning death on Rodeway Inn & Suites
Rodeway Inn & Suites
MILWAUKEE -- Two separate drownings at the same hotel -- a Milwaukee mother says it isn't a coincidence her son and another man died at the Rodeway Inn & Suites pool. The hotel is located at 4400 South 27th Street.
After seeing a FOX6 News story about a man who drowned at the hotel over the summer, Nikita Roy says she felt compelled to share the story about her son's drowning years ago. Police say both appear to be accidents, but relatives say the two victims were good swimmers -- that's why Roy has a different theory.
Rodeway Inn & Suites
Just six days after he turned 13, Nikita Roy recounts the belated birthday celebration that killed her son.
"All he wanted to do was have fun for his birthday," said Roy. "We had a break in that day and it was also my niece's birthday so they wanted to go to the hotel."
Around 10:00 p.m. on August 29th, 2014 Zay-v-un Moreland was swimming at the Rodeway Inn & Suites pool with his 18-year-old brother, when he died.
Zay-v-un Moreland
Nikita Roy
"Zay-v-un was on his back. Zay-v-un got heavy all of a sudden and they both went under. When the oldest came to, he went back to get his brother but he struggled," said Roy.
Milwaukee police ruled the death an accidental drowning. Roy says the hotel is to blame. According to an incident report, the water temperature of the pool was 101 degrees.
Rodeway Inn & Suites
"It's 86 degrees outside, the temperature inside the pool area is over 100 degrees -- enough to make the glass sweat and you have 101 degree water, high chemicals so high that it dies his hair orange," said Roy.
Fast forward to summer 2017, the family of Lerantz Roberson says the 24-year-old also sank to the bottom of the pool and never resurfaced.
Lerantz Roberson
"When I looked at the news and saw that Mr. Roberson died on July 16th at that same hotel, God told me that I needed to do something," said Roy.
Roy believes Roberson's death is also suspicious. She's now working to get the pool remodeled or shut down, hoping to prevent another family from enduring a similar tragedy.
"How many people have to die in this pool before they check the water temperature and regulate it," said Roy.
Rodeway Inn and Suites refused to comment on either incident.
The families of the two victims are now in touch and say they are seeking legal advice.