Midnight search for 11-year-old along Gypsum Creek fruitless

After a midnight search along the banks of Gypsum Creek for an 11-year-old boy who fell into the water near Jardine Middle School on Friday proved fruitless, fire crews planned to resume their search around 6 a.m. Saturday.

Wichita Fire Battalion Chief John Turner said rescuers performed a “very thorough” search of the area in the hours since the boy was swept under shortly before 7:30 p.m. Friday. Turner said searchers hope that sunlight and receding water levels will aid their effort in the morning.

“Eventually you’ve got to call it,” Turner said.

Crews are now considering it a body recovery operation, Turner said.

According to Turner, the boy was crossing the creek on foot near a footbridge with two friends when he was swept away shortly before 7:30 p.m

Turner said his friends attempted to grab him, but the creek, which was flowing between 8 and 12 mph, swept him away quickly.

The two ran to the Lord’s Diner location in the 2800 block of South Hillside to report it.

The boy was described as wearing jeans and no shirt, he said.

Fire crews had two rescue boats in the water searching up and down the creek earlier Friday, which feeds into the Arkansas River around 31st Street South.

Wichita police officers were walking the creek and a Kansas Highway Patrol plane circled overhead attempting to spot the boy.

Turner said 30 to 40 fire crews responded to the scene and about 30 police officers also responded.

Earlier in the evening, rescue crews were stationed at every bridge over the creek and the Arkansas River down to 83rd Street South.

Fire crews had narrowed the search to the creek area near the 2800 block of South Hillside and discovered a fair amount of debris in the area on which the boy could have gotten caught, Turner said.

A floodlight over the bridge at Hillside was illuminating their search, as the cold water was hampering the capabilities of the fire department’s thermal imaging technology, Turner said.

By 10:30 p.m., though, crews had suspended the full search, saying the water levels had receded too much to put boats in the water, Turner said.

Turner said he remains optimistic the boy could have gotten out of the creek on his own.

Still, he said it is “frustrating” crews have not been able to find the boy.

Heavy rains Friday afternoon swelled the creek and the water was flowing fast Friday evening.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Midnight search for 11-year-old along Gypsum Creek fruitless."