Police Say 2 Bodies Found After Men Went Missing in Milwaukee Storm Waters While Trying to Rescue Child
Officials said they located the two men who went missing on Monday after jumping into a drainage ditch to save a 10-year-old boy who had fallen in.
Milwaukee Fire Department chief Chief Aaron Lipski announced that officials had "located and removed and recovered the two remaining victims" from Monday's accident at a news conference held Thursday afternoon and aired by CBS affiliate WDJT-TV.
Police Inspector David Feldmeier told reporters that one body was recovered Thursday morning by MFD after they were "called in by a citizen." The second body, he said, was found "in some debris" during the multi-agency search for the victims.
Families of both victims, ages 34 and 37, have been notified, Lipski said. Their identities have not been released.
"Not any one of us can imagine what a huge loss this community must feel like," the fire chief said. "So we'll keep them in our thoughts and prayers."
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Officials located the body of the 10-year-old boy, identified as Mohammed A. Roshidulcah of Milwaukee, on Tuesday.
The child was chasing a soccer ball near his home on the 3800 block of South 25th Street when he fell into the water, according to a report from the medical examiner's office obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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The boy's father reportedly entered the water after his son and tried to rescue the child by giving him a "bear hug," per Thursday's report.
Another adult apparently leapt into the water as the pair struggled and tried to form a "human chain," but ultimately lost his grip on the item he was clinging to near the shore, according to the Journal Sentinel.
All three individuals "were carried away by the current," police told PEOPLE on Tuesday, explaining that "the water level was high due to a rainstorm."
Earlier in the day, a series of powerful storms hit Milwaukee, flooding streets and knocking out power, NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV previously reported.
Lipski offered condolences to the victims' families on behalf of the Milwaukee Fire Department. He also recognized the impact the news of the deaths will have on the community.
"One thing we have observed is that this community is [a] extremely tight-knit and very strong community," the fire chief said. "And we are hopeful — and we'll offer our support — that they get through this and find strength on the other side."
