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Last updated on Saturday, June 16, 2018
(COLUMBUS) - The body of Brendan Sperry has been recovered from the east fork of the White River after a lengthy search.
This morning at approximately 7:45 a.m., members of the Bartholomew County Water Rescue Team located the body of Brendan Sperry, approximately a half mile south of the State Road 46 bridge (Robert Stewart Bridge), during a water based search of the area.
Indiana Conservation Officers were assisted on scene today by Columbus Police & Fire, Bartholomew County Sheriff's and Indiana State Police.
Earlier - The Department of Natural Resources says search operations continue for 6-Year-old Brendan Sperry.
Authorities say that Brendan was playing on a sandbar with his mother, a brother, two sisters, and a cousin at the park around 3 p.m. on Thursday when he waded into deeper water and was sweep away. His 14-year-old cousin tried to save Brendan, but she was unable to do so. Brendan was not wearing a life jacket.
The efforts to find Brendan have been challenging. Crews from departments across central Indiana have been searching a two mile span on the White River. The heavy rains have made the water shift, murky, and muddy.
On Friday, they were focusing their efforts on the area near the sandbar where Brendan went under the water. Boats, K9s, and divers spent the day searching on top and under the water.
"From our experiences on these types of scenes, when there's a possible downing victim, that victim is usually going to be located closer to where they were last seen than farther down river," said Indiana Conservation Cpl. Jet Quillen.
The boy's family spent the night in the park and haven't left the site. His father is currently on deployment with The National Guard in Australia and has been notified. Family members said both they and rescue crews are exhausted.
The park is currently closed to the public. DNR officials asked for members of the public to stay away from the area and to not try to start their own search.
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