NORFOLK, Va — Kiara Beckett and Nashawn Smiley are still trying to process their emotions after their nephews, Ya’sire Smith, 5, and Zi’aire Mack, 3, both of Chesapeake, died in a crash hundreds of miles away in Florida.
"My nephews were energetic," Smiley said. "They were really, really smart...I just wanted everything for them."
Watch: Chesapeake 3-year-old among 9 people killed in West Palm Beach canal crash
On Monday, Smith's and Mack's lives were cut short in an SUV crash while they were vacationing with family in West Palm County, Florida.
Authorities in West Palm County said the SUV crashed into a guardail, flipped over then landed in a canal. Nine people were killed. The youngest victim was just a year old.
The sheriff's office in West Palm released a report, saying no one inside the SUV was using 'safety equipment' when the crash happened.
Watch: 9 dead after SUV crashes into canal in western Palm Beach
Among the dead were Smith and Mack.
Their aunts left in disbelief.
"It just doesn't feel real," Smiley told News 3's Jay Greene. "Kind of wishing that somebody would call and say that they made a mistake."
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now involved in the investigation.
Smiley and Beckett told Greene there are still so many unanswered questions about what happened, and they're trying to console the boys' mother who was in Chesapeake when the crash happened.
Watch: Man charged with reckless driving following deadly crash on Route 58 in Chesapeake
"Not knowing hurts," Smiley said. "Not knowing how to console and help your sister emotionally. It's taken us back."
Smith and Mack were their mother's only children, according to Beckett and Smiley.
"The night before [the crash], she just asked us about them playing football," Beckett said. "So we were hoping that they would be on the field with their cousins."
A funeral home in Virginia is now heading to Florida to bring the boys back to the commonwealth for a proper burial. Beckett and Smiley are trying to raise money through a GoFundMe pageto help with the expenses.
"I just want my sister to be in the best state right now," Beckett said. "Anything that's left over could possibly help her get through the next few months."
It's their sister's faith and strength that's helping them get through this tragic and terrible time.
"She shows no signs of weakness," Beckett told Greene. "You got to get this done. We can cry later."
