Found Deceased MA - Aidan Blanchard, 11, Chicopee, 5 Feb 2021

[Spider92]

This was from yesterday. I'm posting because this tweet provides a good aerial view and shows what the river looks like in terms of the ice-water ratio. Click them for the full zoom.

"The search for missing 11-year-old Aiden Blanchard continues. Today our Air Wing flew the Connecticut River from the Pike down to the state line ... "

https://twitter.com/NEFireChiefs/status/1360150452575367172

That's a lot of water to search

 

[Spider92]

Dbm

 

[weepingangel]

Chicopee Police continue search for missing 11-year-old with plea for anyone who was behind WWLP-22 station to contact them

More at link
CHICOPEE – In their continued search for an 11-year-old boy who has been missing for more than a week, police are asking for assistance from anyone who may have been walking in the area behind the WWLP-22 station off Chicopee Street the day the child disappeared.

Aiden Blanchard was last seen around 11:30 a.m. on Friday in the Willimansett neighborhood and is believed to have been heading to the area of the Medina Street Boat Launch at the Connecticut River. His family reported him missing later in the day.

“We are looking to speak to anyone who was walking behind the area of the WWLP-22 News Broadcast Center,” police said on Facebook.

Detectives are looking for anyone who was in that area between about 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Feb. 5. Those who were in that location are asked to call Chicopee Police detectives at 413-594-1740.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Praying for you Aiden and family and friends. Please pray for SARs and first responders, LE pilots and everyone searching for Aiden

 

[keyleigh]

As an Australian who doesn't see that kind of weather, would ice on the river effect how and when a body is found? Like obviously if it was fully frozen there would be nothing until warmer weather, but with partial ice?

 

[Spider92]

As an Australian who doesn't see that kind of weather, would ice on the river effect how and when a body is found? Like obviously if it was fully frozen there would be nothing until warmer weather, but with partial ice?

Yes I believe it is a factor. If nothing else, the teams in the helicopters would have difficulty seeing a body under the ice. They have heat sensing instruments, etc but I think they're of limited value. I think the ice will also change the speed and direction of the current. Lastly, it makes for difficult search conditions since most boats can't push through the ice. It strikes me as a herculian task to fine a body under those conditions in such a wide river.

 

[Limecat]

I’ve been away a couple of days and had so hoped for news. Continuing to pray for everyone. Literally everyone.

 

[Luckyzmom]

@Limecat still here praying with you

 

[Knox]

No updates on Aidan today?

 

[dulcinea]

A lot of things can complicate a search like this: temperature of the water, training of the rescuers involved, equipment available, speed of the current, thickness of the ice, what the person was wearing, if there are lots of trees or rocks in the river, etc.

When I was in college, a body was spotted in the river from the bridge that was directly behind my dorm. At the time there were no reports of anyone missing, so no one was even sure it was a body. The river was about 20 feet wide with a decent current. It was approximately 10 feet deep with some ice formed on the surface but not anything thick enough to walk on. I watched for over a week as the recovery team searched. Thankfully they did not give up. About 50 yards downstream they found a young man's body caught up on a log, hidden under a thin layer of ice.

The young man turned out to be from different university. He left a party intoxicated and wandered out to the river, presumably to relieve himself. His friends assumed he'd found another party to attend and returned to their university without giving him another thought.

 

[Limecat]

It’s hard to hope for news that Aidan has been found because I feel the only outcome is that he’s passed away, but at the same time I want his loved ones to be able to bring him home. I think I’ve said it before but I cannot fathom what his mother is going through imagining her precious boy lost in that icy river.
One of the saddest cases for sure.

 

[Allynator]

This was from yesterday. I'm posting because this tweet provides a good aerial view and shows what the river looks like in terms of the ice-water ratio. Click them for the full zoom.

"The search for missing 11-year-old Aiden Blanchard continues. Today our Air Wing flew the Connecticut River from the Pike down to the state line ... "

https://twitter.com/NEFireChiefs/status/1360150452575367172

That river is HUGE!!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Chicopee Police and the Massachusetts State Pollice are seeking to speak with anyone who was walking behind the area of 22 News Broadcast Center on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, from the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., to contact investigators.

People in that area and around that time are asked to contact Chicopee Police Detective Bureau at (413) 594-1740.

“All evidence known thus far suggests Aiden was alone and near the river when he went missing,” Massachusetts State Police said in a statement. “Based on the information currently known to detectives, no foul play is suspected at this time. All leads continue to be investigated.”

Massachusetts State Troopers and Chicopee Police are continuing to search for Aiden but said the weather has been making the process difficult.

Anyone who has information that may help locate Aiden, or who believes they may have seen him, should immediately call 911, Chicopee Police at (413) 594-1639, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

People using outdoor video surveillance cameras in the Willamanestt area of Chicopee are being asked to review their video taken on Feb. 5 around 11 a.m. to noon for signs of Aiden.

“Local and State Police previously searched the Connecticut and Chicopee Rivers using divers, boats, drones, and the State Police Air Wing. The area was searched based on information that Aiden was last known to be in the area of the boat ramp,” police said. “The operation is focused on locating Aiden, or any evidence showing his direction of travel or whereabouts.”
Police Search New Area For Missing 11-Year-Old Aiden Blanchard

 

[Dot#5t]

I am at the Windsor Locks Canal Trail Head in Suffield next to the 190 bridge on the Connecticut River. The canal trail itself is closed for the winter but I looked at the loch area where debris collects in an eddy. The river is moving swiftly this afternoon. I saw lots of loose pieces of ice and tree limbs. Does anyone know how far South they have searched? The Enfield Rapids has so many spots where debris gets caught.




I pray he is found soon!

 

[Vae Victus]

... Does anyone know how far South they have searched? The Enfield Rapids has so many spots where debris gets caught.!

Tbh I'm not entirely sure but the New England Fire Chiefs says that their air wing searched down to the state line. But that was days ago.

"Today our Air Wing flew the Connecticut River from the Pike down to the state line"

https://twitter.com/NEFireChiefs/status/1360150452575367172

 

[Vae Victus]

Their community is having a candlelight vigil for Aiden tonight from 4-6 PM, and people attending are being asked to wear red or green which are his favorite colors.

Candlelight Vigil For Missing 11-year-old Aiden Blanchard To Be Held Wednesday

 

[Vae Victus]

That river is HUGE!!

I agree. It's 406 miles long, cuts through four states, and empties into Long Island Sound.

 

[Dot#5t]

Their community is having a candlelight vigil for Aiden tonight from 4-6 PM, and people attending are being asked to wear red or green which are his favorite colors.

Candlelight Vigil For Missing 11-year-old Aiden Blanchard To Be Held Wednesday

Thank you for sharing this update!

 

[Limecat]

Do any of us think he isn’t in the river? I want to hope that with all of my heart but LE certainly seems to have reason to believe he is.

 

[Lusitana]

Do any of us think he isn’t in the river? I want to hope that with all of my heart but LE certainly seems to have reason to believe he is.

I do hope he is not in the river and is still out there alive.