MILWAUKEE—The bodies of two men who went into a rain-swollen drainage ditch in Milwaukee to try to save a 10-year-old boy have been recovered, officials said Thursday.
The discovery comes three days after the three people were swept into a tunnel that runs under a road, shortly after a storm dropped heavy rainfall. The body of Mohammed Roshidulcah, of Milwaukee, was recovered Tuesday about a mile and a half downstream from the tunnel’s exit.
The youngster ran into the ravine chasing after a soccer ball, police said.
The bodies of the child’s father and a family friend, both of whom followed the boy into the drainage ditch, were found Thursday several miles downstream of the tunnel. Divers, boats, people walking along the shore, drones and sonar equipment were used in the search, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said.
Lipski said the three victims were part of an “extremely tight-knit and very strong” community.
“Not any one of us can imagine what such a huge loss to this community must feel like,” he said at a press conference Thursday.
The boy went into the treacherous water about 6 p.m. Monday and started to struggle, police said. His father jumped into the water and gave him a “bear hug” in an attempt to rescue him. When that proved unsuccessful, another adult then leaped in after them and attempted to create a “human chain” while holding on to something near the shore.
The second man lost his grip and the three were swept away by the current.