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11-month-old boy dies in North Carolina tornado

Posted at 8:06 PM, Apr 27, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-28 17:36:55-04

Elizabeth City, N.C. - An 11-month old Edenton boy died over the weekend after a tornado ripped through his home on Friday night.

The uncle of Gavin Soto tells NewsChannel 3 when the tornado hit Yeopim Road, Gavin's mom jumped on top of her baby to protect him.

That's when the house was picked up from its foundation and dropped about 30 feet away, trapping Gavin and his mom inside.

Family friends say Gavin's 10-year-old cousin Brylee, who was in the house, crawled out and ran to her grandfather for help.

He, along with four strangers who just happened to stop, lifted off what was the front porch, but Gavin wasn't breathing.

His family says he was placed in a medically-induced coma, but died early Saturday morning.

"It's terrible. I mean, when you lose a child, you are losing a part of yourself," says family friend Sue Brown.

The news of the death hit hard for North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory who toured the hardest hit areas on Sunday.

“All of North Carolina is grieving over the loss of such an innocent life," McCrory said.

He also said they will have more people on site Monday to get to work on disaster declarations.

The family of Gavin Soto has set up a website for donations. Click here to help.