Family and friends mourn the loss of David Aureliano, 12,...

Family and friends mourn the loss of David Aureliano, 12, his wake at the Brueggemann Funeral Home in East Northport. (July 7, 2012) Credit: Danielle Finkelstein

Dozens of mourners paid respects on Saturday to a 12-year-old boy killed with his cousin and a friend in a July Fourth boat accident in Oyster Bay.

Tearful family and friends of David Aureliano emerged from the boy's wake at Brueggemann Funeral Home in East Northport, three days after the cabin cruiser he was riding in capsized on the way from a fireworks show.

David, of Kings Park, his cousin Harlie Treanor, 11, of Huntington Station, and family friend Victoria Gaines, 7, of Huntington, died. All three were in the boat's cabin when the vessel capsized. Memorial services for them will also continue this week.

On Saturday, mourners consoled each other outside the funeral home. Inside, David lay surrounded by photo collages, according to one mourner, who said she was David's cousin. "I felt like there was a knife through my heart," said the woman, who identified herself only as Linda. David was "the cutest thing," she said, recalling how he loved fishing and swimming.

As family members prepared to eulogize the three victims, investigators continued to piece together how the 34-foot Silverton, named Kandi Won, sank Wednesday as it left the fireworks display along with nearly 1,000 other boats.

Authorities hope to raise the sunken cruiser from 70 feet of water early this week, said Officer Chris Barling, a Nassau County police spokesman. "We're working on different methods to pull it out," Barling said.

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