The body of a 4-year-old boy from Oklahoma who went missing in McIntosh County on Monday was recovered by divers in Lake Eufaula after a search that lasted over 24 hours, authorities said.
Tuesday night, the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department provided an update in the search for Zaiven Wyatt Houk, a non-verbal boy who went missing from his family home near Emerald Bay, west of Checotah. He was last seen wearing only a blue and white diaper.
“Zaiven has been located. Unfortunately, it is with great regret that we have to inform everyone that it did not turn out the way we hoped for,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
A dive team from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s (OHP) Lake Patrol found the boy dead in the lake in seven feet of water at 6:42 p.m. on Tuesday, FOX23 reported.
Law enforcement and search crews had been working around the clock on horseback, on foot, in the air, and on the water to find Zaiven after the 4-year-old slipped out through an open door of the family home, according to authorities.
As news broke of Zaiven’s disappearance, as many as 200 members of search and rescue teams from multiple agencies along with volunteers turned out to search for the boy.
“We would like to thank all agencies, their personnel, and civilians that helped in the search for the past two days,” the sheriff’s office said.
The OHP recovered video footage that showed the boy running toward the lake’s dock as he tried to go around a locked gate, but he fell into the water.
Casey Fairchild, a business owner who volunteered to help look for Zaiven along with two fellow employees, told FOX23 the trio is familiar with the area and wanted to search along the water’s edge at Lake Eufaula.
“We actually split from our group and went back south to the water and just walked,” Fairchild said, adding that they had also combed wooded areas.