Rescuers in North Carolina found the bodies of a 5-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother, which were flooded and ended a lengthy search, officials said Thursday.
“We’re hoping for a good result,” Johnston County Sheriff Steve Buzzell said Thursday. “But at least this morning, we’ve got them back. The family has been notified, and we want to keep the family in our thoughts and prayers.”
The children, Alexa Castro and Abraham Martinez, Jr., were in their car with Vanessa Castro when it rained in Smithfield, Johnston County, about 0 miles south of Raleigh on Monday night.
First responders were initially able to reach both the mother and Abraham Jr., but the boy slipped from there after colliding with a rescue boat, officials said.
According to the sheriff, Alexa’s body was found Wednesday afternoon and Abraham’s Thursday morning.
“Everyone I’ve talked to has been in constant prayer for this family and these kids and their safety – and we’ve found them,” Beazel told reporters.
The bodies of the children were found in a shallow bay that feeds into the News River, and Bizzel said their bodies would never have been found if they had been carried away by the fast-moving water of the river.
“I’m just thankful they never got into the News River,” Bizzel said.
“It’s a sad day for the family, a sad day for law enforcement, it’s a sad day for first responders, researchers, boaters.” “But at least we’ve got those kids, and the family can get a sense of closeness. Those kids are in a better place than we are today.”
