‘He was an angel in our house’: Sister of man who drowned in Jacksonville retention pond speaks out

Less than a week after 39-year-old Besmir Licaj drowned in a retention pond at a Jacksonville apartment complex, his sister returned to the water’s edge for the first time to speak publicly about the brother she lost.Licaj was found unresponsive in a retention pond at Coquina Bay Apartments off San Pablo Road on July 29. Bystanders pulled him from the water, but he did not survive.On Saturday, his sister Blerta Gurguri and close family friend Tammy Wilson met News4JAX at that same pond, throwing flowers into the water as they grieved.“They confirmed that was him, and it was terrible news,” Gurguri said, fighting back tears.The family’s grief runs deep. Gurguri is mourning not only the loss of her brother, but also the loss of her father, who died from colon cancer less than six months ago.Licaj had recently moved to the United States from Albania, in part to care for his father in his final months. His family says starting a new life here was his goal — a life they say was cut tragical