FORT WORTH, Texas — Carla Skinner shared how her faith is helping after the loss of her 6-year-old son, Andrew.
He was her youngest son, who Skinner said lit up the room with his big, beautiful eyes and his infectious smile.
"I am heartbroken," Skinner said. "But for me to have sorrow is almost like a slap in the face to God. Like you don't trust me."
Andrew was a first grader who walked to school every day with his sister, a kindergartener. After school at Parkview Elementary, Andrew went to his babysitter's house. He stayed there for several hours until Carla finished up at work nearby. On Tuesday, Carla got the worst phone call of her life.
"I got the call at 6:17 pm," she said. "The wife called me, 'Carla, get to the house.' Get to what house? What are you talking about? Joseph said Drew is unresponsive."
Skinner was just 4 minutes away by car. She rushed to the babysitter's house from her Fort Worth salon, Flora's Beauty Lounge, named after her late mother. Once there, Skinner said she knew right away things were not looking good.
"I knew from the beginning," said Skinner, "I had a bad feeling, bad feeling."
Andrew was unresponsive. Paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Skinner recalled what she said the babysitters told her about Andrew getting out of the house.
"I can remember her saying he must have went through the doggy door and got into the pool," said Skinner. "That's what she told me."
Skinner and her family relocated to Fort Worth from Michigan last year. She opened the salon and started building clientele right away. Since her husband works too, they needed someone they could trust looking after Andrew. She did an extensive search and interviewed several caregivers who could understand how to care for Andrew.
"He was autistic, and a lot of people did not understand him," Skinner said. "He made noises. It would break my heart for us to go out in public and for people to stare and point at him or make fun of him."
Skinner said she didn't want Andrew to be in a daycare setting. So that's why she used social media to search for a babysitter who would fit their needs.
"The dad is the one who responded. He was the stay-at-home dad. Mom worked, but he was the one who responded," Skinner said. "So that's how that happened. That was three weeks prior to the beginning of the school year. We went over there, we interviewed them. Home was nice and clean and neat."
Skinner explained how the babysitters showed them around the house and showed them the dog and they learned that the couple was also from Michigan and considered their meeting a gift of God. They agreed to watch Andrew in exchange for Carla doing the wife's and daughter's hair at the salon.
As Skinner and her family plan Andrew's memorial service, they have decided to donate his organs to give the gift of life to others.
Andrew's drowning is still under investigation. Skinner says detectives have asked her family not to communicate with the babysitter at this time. Either way, as far as Skinner is concerned, she said she doesn't hold what happened against them.
"In my heart of hearts, an accident because I know my son," said Skinner. "Mothers, sometimes they're so grief-stricken and they want someone to blame. But I'm a mom and I know my son."