Two GoFundMe accounts have been started to support the grieving Bulgin family in Clarendon, Jamaica, after 26-year-old Tavaris Bulgin drowned in Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts over the weekend.
His brother, Tavaughn, 21, who is presumed dead, is yet to be found. Their parents, Reverend Keith Bulgin and Jacqueline Bulgin arrived in Massachusetts on Tuesday night.
In a statement, spokesperson for the family, Bishop Rhoan Parkins, said they appreciate the outpouring of support.
“They started [the GoFundMe] in good faith but never made contact with the family. We have since confirmed with the family and they are ok with it,” he shared, explaining that Marsha Nadine, one of the organisers from New York, is an associate of the family’s church and an acquaintance to the Bulgins.
The brothers were a part of a group that jumped off the infamous ‘Jaws Bridge’ that connects Edgartown to Oak Bluffs to take a swim but got into difficulties while in the water around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday.
It was reported that Tavaris’ body was found around 6:30 a.m. at Sengekontacket Pond on Monday.
The Jaws Bridge is said to be a popular tourist attraction on the island and many people jump from it during the summer, despite a sign warning people against it.
The brothers were from Clarendon, Jamaica, and were working at a restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard as part of the popular summer work-and-travel program, which employs hundreds of Jamaican university students each year.
