WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (AP) — The body of a young girl was found Friday in the Delaware River and is believed to be a 2-year-old child who was one of two children swept from their family’s vehicle by a flash flood last weekend, authorities said.
The body was found in the early evening near a Philadelphia sewage treatment plant about 50 miles from where Matilda Sheils was taken, authorities said at an overnight news conference.
By physical description, authorities believe the body is that of Matilda. The Philadelphia coroner will perform an autopsy on Saturday.
The search continues for Matilda’s 9-month-old brother, Conrad.
The Charleston, South Carolina family were visiting relatives and friends when they were hit by a “wall of water”, according to Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer.
Their mother, Katie Seley, 32, was also killed in the flooding, authorities said.
The children’s father, Jim Sheils, grabbed the couple’s 4-year-old son, while Seley and a grandmother grabbed the other children, Brewer said. Sheils and their infant son managed to get to safety, but Seley and the grandmother were swept away. The grandmother survived.
Four other people drowned in the area, according to the Bucks County Coroner’s Office: Enzo Depiero, 78, and Linda Depiero, 74, of Newtown; Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown; and Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, New Jersey.
The deaths and the search for the children have resulted in an outpouring of support, particularly on social media, in the suburb about 35 miles (60 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.