Body found in Wichita creek; missing boy’s family confident it’s him

Wichita police and fire units recovered a body from the water near 31st Street South and K-15 early Saturday morning, according to Wichita police Deputy Chief Hassan Ramzah.

Ramzah could not confirm the identity of the body nor how long it had been in the water, other than to say it was a male.

A kayaker in the river called 911 at around 10 a.m. on Saturday after noticing the body, Ramzah said.

Police and firefighters have been searching for an 11-year-old boy in Gypsum Creek near Jardine Middle School since May 27. Ramzah could not confirm whether the body found was that of Devon Cooley.

The area where search crews were working Saturday morning was about a mile downstream from where firefighters had been concentrating their search for Devon.

Fire officials had previously said they had “100 percent cleared” everything in the water west of Hillside.

Cooley family members were at the scene Saturday morning, as well as a police chaplain who has been working with the family throughout the search.

The Cooley family is confident Devon “has been found, and is on his final journey home,” according to a media release from the family sent out Saturday evening that also acknowledges the absence of official confirmation.

Ramzah said police would not be able to identify the body until a coroner’s investigation is completed, which could take until Monday.

The Cooley family again thanked firefighters and emergency crews that have worked to find Devon since May 27.

“We want it to be known that the Cooley family is very proud of the Wichita Fire Department, the dog teams and other first responders,” the release read. “We felt your love, your compassion and your sincere desire to find Devon. We want you to know that you are all true heroes and that you will all have a special place in our hearts forever.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Body found in Wichita creek; missing boy’s family confident it’s him."