Exhausted crews will begin search for boy again Monday

On the third day of an intense search for a missing 11-year-old Wichita boy, recovery efforts were stepped up as thunder sounded in the distance and gray skies blanketed the area.

“We will work as hard as we can and as long as we can to try and bring some kind of closure and peace to the family,” said Scott Brown, battalion chief of the Wichita Fire Department, speaking about the efforts to locate the boy, who was swept away in high, fast-moving waters in Gypsum Creek on Friday.

Search efforts began again Sunday at 7 a.m. and were suspended as darkness fell. The search will begin again Monday morning.

“We decided as the sun is starting to set that we are going to suspend the search for the rest of the evening,” Brown said. “Crews are tired. We’ve decided it is not safe to put anybody else in the water.”

One crew, however, will remain on the scene and every 90 minutes to two hours will walk the bank in a “watch line,” scanning for any changes as the water hopefully continues to subside.

“Hopefully no rain tonight and the Arkansas River will continue to drop,” Brown said. “It would help crews out if that river comes down. That’s our main obstacle right now is the speed of the water.”

The family of the missing boy issued a statement saying they wanted to thank “the men and women of the Wichita Fire Dept., Search dog specialists, and The Wichita Police, for their dedication to the task at hand.”

They also asked for volunteers.

“As the search is now set to expand, we are looking for qualified individuals to walk the banks of the river. We are looking for only those with experience working in such terrain. Please report to the Joyland Park entrance way.”

Brown said there have been around 30 professionally trained water rescue people at any one time joining in the search. Some of the crews have been part of the search since Friday.

“We’ve had as many as up to 25 guys – had divers in the water, and it came up to no avail,” he said. “We had a lot of hope we might find closure. It was frustrating the first night. Two days ago, they were frustrated. Yesterday, crews were frustrated, and we are really frustrated today. But we keep grinding and we will come back with a new plan tomorrow. … We need to find this missing boy.”

The banks of Gypsum Creek have been searched more than half a dozen times from the boy’s point of entry to nearly a mile to Hillside, Brown said.

“We’ve had guys shoulder to shoulder,” he said. “We feel pretty confident we have this area searched.”

The family also is seeking donations for search crews.

“We also ask for donations to the Salvation Army, to help the rescue crews. Water, Gatorade, packed snacks, beef jerky etc. are a great help, and would be greatly appreciated.”

One woman, Carmen Magdalenl, and her sister came to the site near Hillside and Pawnee with grills and cooked for family and rescue workers, grilling hotdogs.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, two boats carrying sophisticated sonar equipment and four officers from the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Department were added to the three boats from the Wichita Fire Department. Divers were searching the rushing waters in Gypsum Creek and the Arkansas River, near Pawnee and Hillside.

Dogs were also being called in to search for the boy, and crews had begun digging into embankments by Sunday evening.

Brown said the biggest fear is that the boy’s body may have been swept into the Arkansas River.

And with more storms in the forecast, it may hamper efforts in recovering a body.

“We are keeping an eye on the weather, but if we should get lightning in the area, we will have to take a break and suspend it until the lightning is cleared,” he said. “If it is just rain, we will just keep working through. I wish I had more I could tell you.”

Members of the boy’s family remained on the scene, Brown said.

“We have had chaplains on scene for the family,” he said. “The Salvation Army is here and keeping everybody hydrated and fed. We are thankful Parks and Wildlife could spare a couple of boats, considering this is Memorial Day weekend. Right now, this is all about the family, not us. We are just trying to give closure to the family.”

This story was originally published May 29, 2016 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Exhausted crews will begin search for boy again Monday."