Horror as mom of three drowns in lake after jumping in to try to save her 12-year-old daughter

A mother of three tragically drowned in a lake after jumping in to try to save her 12-year-old daughter.

Amarilia 'Lileana' Vamaca died after attempting to help her struggling daughter in Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, Tennessee.

The incident occurred on August 4 while Vamaca's husband was swimming in a different part of the lake.

Upon learning his daughter was in distress, he rushed to help - only to discover his wife had already jumped in. 

'I asked, where is your mom, where is your mom? [His daughter] said she went into the water already,' Martin Ambrosio told WTVF.

Mom Amarilia 'Lileana' Vamaca (pictured second from right) drowned in a Nashville, Tennessee, lake trying to save her 12-year-old daughter

Vamaca was taken to the hospital and later removed from life support 

Half a dozen bystanders sprang into action to search for Vamaca, eventually finding the her. They performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but it was too late. 

'A boy brought her out, but she had already passed away,' Ambrosio said. 

Vamaca was taken to the hospital and later removed from life support. 

Ambrosio said his wife, who he had been with for 15 years, was the cornerstone of her family, a vibrant and loving presence in the lives of her three young children. 

'We're sad,' Ambrosio told WTVF. 'She was an open person, smiling, happy, a joker, she liked to be friends with people...' 

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist with the costs of returning Vacama's body to her native Guatemala.

The incident occurred Sunday when the family was swimming in Nashville's Percy Priest Lake

Vamaca's husband said his wife was the cornerstone of their family

Ambrosio emphasized the need for warning signs to protect the Spanish-speaking community.

'We don't know how to read English [and] we didn't see any signs,' he explained, saying warning signs in English and Spanish should be posted near dangerous parts of the lake.

As the family grapples with the loss, Ambrosio said, they are seeking strength through their faith.

'We hope in the name of God that God will give us the strength to be able to overcome it, to be able to move forward,' he said.