Coast Guard ends search for kids missing in Mississippi River. Louisiana divers step in
_fitted.png "Local divers stepped in after the Coast Guard suspended its search for the three missing children who vanished after going swimming in the Mississippi River in Louisiana, according to authorities.")
Local divers stepped in after the Coast Guard suspended its search for the three missing children who vanished after going swimming in the Mississippi River in Louisiana, according to authorities.
A 15-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and an 8-year-old girl were last seen on Saturday, April 23, after they got in the water near the Crescent City Connection Bridge in New Orleans, according to a news release from the United States Coast Guard.
On April 24, the U.S. Coast Guard announced it suspended its search for the three children after spending 55 hours combing through more than 93 miles along the Mississippi.
“The decision to suspend any search and rescue case is never easy but considering the extensive search efforts of our Coast Guard men and women, in conjunction with other response agencies, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend our active search for the three children,” Capt. Kelly Denning, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans commander, said in the release. “Our prayers are with the families during this difficult time.”
The Algiers ferry service, which was operating on extended hours during the French Quarter Festival was shut down April 23 as crews searched the water, according to previous reporting by McClatchy News. A shuttle between the east and west banks was provided.
On April 24, the Southeast Louisiana Underwater Search and Recovery announced it spent the day “on the river searching hard for these children” and would “be back tomorrow to continue,” according to an April 24 Facebook post.
In the post, Mark Michaud, a veteran diver, said several agencies have come together to keep the search for the children going.
“These are children,” the children’s aunt told WAFB. “We’re calling them our little angels now.”
On April 25, several volunteers scoured the last seen location but did not locate the children, according to a post by Michaud.
“The Mississippi River is a beast. Fortunately, this area is isolated and in an eddy,” Michaud wrote. “It is still huge with a lot of underwater obstacles.”
The diver added that volunteers would be back in the morning on April 26 to comb through the next “area of interest.”
“I know that they are not breathing in that water. I just hope that they could get their bodies back all in one part so we can do the proper things and give them a proper service,” a relative told WWL. “That’s the only hope we have.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Coast Guard ends search for kids missing in Mississippi River. Louisiana divers step in."
