Their Final Request Was to Go Home: Remembering Mya and Sigmund

Mya Golabek and her younger brother, Sigmund Paul, were only 9 and 7 years old.

What began as an ordinary family evening ended in a devastating tragedy on New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay.

According to court documents, the siblings had reportedly asked their grandfather, Stephen Schneider, to take them back to his house after a family dinner.

It was a simple request from two children who wanted to go home.

They never made it.

During the boat trip, a crash occurred that ended both children’s lives.

Schneider, 64, has been arrested and charged with two counts of reckless vessel homicide.

The charges are allegations, and the case will now proceed through the legal system.

But for Mya and Sigmund’s family, the legal process cannot change the heartbreaking reality of losing two children.

Their final request was ordinary.

Their final journey was anything but.

A family outing that should have ended with children safely home instead became a night of unimaginable grief.

Their loved ones are now left with memories, questions, and a pain that words cannot fully describe.

Behind every court document are two children who had dreams, personalities, and people who loved them deeply.

Mya and Sigmund were more than the victims of a boating tragedy.

They were a sister and brother whose lives mattered.

As investigators work to establish exactly what happened that night, their family deserves answers and compassion.

Whatever the legal outcome, nothing can restore the future these two children should have had.

May Mya and Sigmund be remembered not only for how their lives ended, but for the joy and love they brought to the people around them.