Sunday Read: In Snapchat Moments before Drowning, Maia Stanton Let the World Know She Was Happy

In her last Snapchat posting on July 15, Maia Stanton wanted to let the world know she was happy.

It was a hot and sunny day along the rocky coastline of Narragansett and she was there with her dad. So she drew a red smiley face on the screen to appear below her own smiling face.

It’s a microscopic moment in time, but it will be replayed endlessly. She is wearing her wetsuit, the ocean visible in the background. It was posted moments before she went on her very last snorkeling and spear fishing trip with her father, Jeremy, who she adored.

The video lasts for just the blink of an eye but it distills and captures some of the essence of the 14-year-old Southfield, Mass. girl. She wryly grins and chews what looks to be a large wad of gum; a girl eager for her next adventure, ready to have fun, to spread her wings.

“Doing something she loved with one of the greatest loves of her life,” said Julie Anna Bishop, a family friend in western Massachusetts.

Stanton’s body was pulled from the water several hours later after a Narragansett police officer saw a fin appear above the surface in the dip between two waves. Rescuers had searched for more than two hours hoping for the best, but fearing the worst, ultimately finding her under the water, caught among the ledges and crevasses carved out of the shore’s granite shelf over the eons.

Police officers and firefighters, some fathers themselves, jumped out of the rescue boat to pull Stanton from the water. Back on shore, as she was being rushed to the hospital, they packed up their gear in soaked uniforms, hanging their heads.

Her condition was not immediately released though her rescue was widely reported through the evening. On Wednesday night, Rhode Islanders went to bed with crossed fingers, heavy hearts and long glances at their own children before lights out.

At 14, Stanton’s death casts a dark shadow over the lives of all who she touched, especially her family, who run The Meat Market, a sustainable butcher shop and cafe in Great Barrington, Mass., and live in Southfield. It has also sent waves of sadness over Rhode Island, a state with residents who are all-too-familiar with tragedy at sea but will never grow accustomed, especially when the victim is a child.

“Maia was an incredibly luminous soul with so much love and talent to share with the world. She made everyone she interacted with feel special, seen and heard. In her brief lifetime. . .she has impacted more lives than many do in a lifetime,” Bishop said. “Please join me in weeping for her loss and the loss of those who loved her dearly, sending comfort, love, and light to each and everyone who loves her and has been blessed by her presence in their lives. Celebrating her - her talent, her ‘beingness’ and all she has given each of us and the world.”

Friends of the family began to reach out on Thursday, offering condolences and remarking on how beautiful and vibrant Stanton was. One put it succinctly when he commented on a family members post that “this is a moment where social media is so terribly inadequate. . .there is no sense to this tragedy. Maia is a shining beam of light.”

The spot where Stanton and her father swam is known for its danger. For those who grew up in the area, the huge granite shelf that runs this length of the Narragansett coast, which includes Newton Rock, Black Point and Hazard Rock, are ideal viewing and picnic spots but treated with extreme caution. The angles and edges of the rock make the waves unpredictable. There are circling currents, errant waves and random bursts of water have been known to sweep away people who stand too close to the edge. The rocks are also slippery, and once in the water, if the ocean is turbulent, even expert swimmers will face the challenge of their lives.

Local authorities have the unfortunate task of responding routinely to this area, which includes Black Point and the rock shelves at the ends of Hazard and Newton Avenues.

“We lose people pretty much every year off of these rocks,” Narragansett Police Chief Dean Hoxsie said.

The incident has revived an ongoing discussion about how we can better warn people of the dangers of the rocks. Though there are signs by the entrances to the public access points, they sometimes are stolen or vandalized. Authorities are on alert every summer with the understanding that people underestimate the risks. Some have suggested bigger or more prominent signs.

Whatever is done, in this coastal community, there is the resigned acknowledgement that no sign will ever be big or bright enough to prevent tragedy at the hands of the sea. And nothing will fill the void left behind by the death of this girl, who left the world one last smiley face, smiling face and a better place for having her here at all.