A family fishing trip in Massachusetts turned into tragedy when a mother jumped in the water to save her 6-year-old son, and both were swept away by the current.
At around 7:09 p.m. on June 9, the Amesbury Emergency Dispatch (AED) received a call for distressed persons in water involving a father, a mother, and four children, near Deer Island in Amesbury, Massachusetts, according to the Newburyport Fire Department (NFD).
The family was in the middle of a fishing trip when a 6-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter entered the water with strong currents.
“At around 7 p.m., the 31-year-old father returned to where the car was parked to retrieve some gear. At around the same time the boy, we believe, reached for something in the water and fell in and was pulled away by the swift current,” Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement to CBS News on Friday.
MSP Dive Team and Marine Unit back at Merrimack River this morning with @NewburyportPD and @NewburyportFD to resume search boy, 6, who went missing last night. Two other family members, who presumably entered water to try to save boy, were rescued by a boater. pic.twitter.com/iy65dPDfvZ
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) June 10, 2022
“The mother and daughter entered the water to save the boy and were also caught in the current. By this time, the father has returned to the water’s edge, saw his daughter and wife in the water, and entered the water and tried to reach them but could not and quickly got in trouble himself in the water. He made it back to shore and ended up being transported to Seabrook Hospital for exposure/hypothermia,” Procopio said.
With the help of a nearby fishing boat, the mother was able to bring her 7-year-old daughter onto the boat, the NFD said. However, the mother went underwater and did not resurface.
First responders later brought the mother out of the water, who was unresponsive, and transported her to the Anna Jaques Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the NFD.
A search and rescue mission was then launched with the help of state and local emergency personnel, as well as the United States Coast Guard, for the missing 6-year-old boy, which continued into the night.
“We know that we are still searching for a 6-year-old boy so we will continue to search until we’ve exhausted all possibilities,” LeClaire said. “We’ll continue to search into the daylight and we’ll work with the Coast Guard and other assets to make further decisions from there.”
The operation was suspended before midnight, according to updates on MSP’s Twitter page, and continued the morning of June 10.
At around noon on June 10, authorities reported that the operation has changed from rescue to recovery.
On Merrimack River @USCG assisting in search for missing boy. pic.twitter.com/vTFcqC9XSX
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) June 10, 2022
As of the morning of June 11, the Newburyport Fire Department told NTD Television that LeClaire is still on the scene and taking part in the recovery mission for the missing boy.
