http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110603/NEWS01/106040310/1179/WAP&template=wapart
Crews to search 24-mile river stretch for boy
Division of Watercraft workers started Friday at the Ohio River and are moving upstream in search of the 17-month-old boy who went missing after his family's kayak capsized on the Whitewater River on Wednesday.
The search area set for Friday is about 24 miles long. This is the third day for the child believed to be named Mitchell O'Banion of Independence. Multiple agencies have joined forces for the search and recovery effort.
Officials say the toddler's parents, Carmen Sickmeier, 34, and Lawrence J. O'Banion II, went into the river with the help of Morgan's Outdoor Adventure at Blue Creek Road and made it to a spot about 4 ½ miles downstream before their kayak overturned as they tried to avoid a large branch in the river. The couple told officials that their child's life jacket may have been fastened incorrectly.
Some 50 people have been searching for the toddler from daybreak to sundown everyday. The kayak and the toddler's life jacket were recovered Wednesday evening. "We cannot eliminate any stretch at this point," said Gary Catron, of the Indian Conservation Office. Catron said there was no date set to call off the search.
Although the river level has gone down some, the current remains swift, officials said. With such conditions, Catron said, divers will only enter the water if there is a high confidence that something will be found. On Thursday, a camera was found and Catron said officials are trying to determine if it belongs to the family.
I have two comments here:
1.
Morgan's Outdoor Adventures assisted the family in entering the river. Did they not notice that there was a baby, or say something like 'the river is high, dangerous; what about the baby"? Did the person who assisted them actually see the baby, see the child-size lifejacket?
2. The river was so high it was dangerous for professional divers, but not for a 17-month-old??
