Recovery mission underway for 8-year-old who fell in Flint River, sheriff says

By Zain Omair and WNEM Digital

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    FLINT, Michigan (WNEM) — The search for an 8-year-old girl who fell into the Flint River on Sunday, April 29 has turned into a recovery mission.

This is the second time in just a few days that a child has gone missing in the water. The city said a seven-year-old boy drowned in an unrelated incident in the river Saturday, April 27. According to Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, the 7-year-old wandered away near the river and drowned.

Sunday’s search for the little girl started at Ballenger Highway and Sunset Boulevard, but as of Monday afternoon, April 29, Swanson said they had not yet found the 8-year-old victim.

Monday’s recovery efforts are now underway.

“It means that the victim is deceased, unlikely that we find anything different, so now we need to find this little one,” Swanson said.

The search for the 8-year-old started in the area by the McLaren Flint Hospital, extending 22 miles to the Flushing and Montrose areas. A sergeant reportedly spotted the girl’s pink shirt in the water from the river’s bridge.

It’s all hands on deck. Swanson said they are using all of their resources including divers from Genesee, Oakland, Saginaw, Lapeer, and Bay counties, K-9s, boats, drones, and a Michigan State Police helicopter to find the girl.

“Depending what happens, we take it hour by hour and we reassess,” he said.

Swanson said there are some challenges when it comes to the search. The rainy weather is impacting river flows and water levels, and because they’re looking in the river, it means the water is contently moving so they can’t use sonar like they would in a pond or lake.

”When you have a moving river, and it’s the Flint River, which means its loaded with hazards – not only just trees, but bends. And water goes under the river bank because it’s been flowing for thousands of years. All of those are hazards, not just for locations but also for the divers,” Swanson said. “You could have a river that changes within a five minute window, that’s the constant challenge, and what you just searched could become a new site. You just don’t know, you’re playing with a lot of unknowns.”

According to Swanson, recovery efforts could take hours, days, or even weeks, but they won’t stop until they find the little girl.

Swanson encouraged anyone who sees anything in the river that may help with the search to call 911 with your location immediately.

“Love your kids. Give them an extra special hug,” Swanson said in a message to parents. “Any body of water for people who can’t swim, whether it be a child or an adult, use extreme caution. And that’s from now ‘til… for the rest of the season, in the winter, it never ends. Water is unforgiving.”

Swanson said Flint Police are handling the investigations for both the boy who drowned on Saturday and this little girl. He said the two incidents are unrelated.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of a precious 7-year-old child who tragically drowned in the Flint River yesterday. In a separate incident, an 8-year-old child fell into the Flint River today, and the search and recovery effort is ongoing. I want to remind our community that playing near the Flint River is dangerous due to hidden debris and strong currents. As the weather warms, I encourage families to be safe while enjoying the natural resources and parks in Flint.”

Fire Chief Theron Wiggins “My deepest sympathies are with the family of the child who died yesterday. There is no greater loss than the loss of a child. As first responders continue to search for a second child who fell into the Flint River today, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of this child as well.”

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley

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