After a multi-day large-scale search of Lake Erie failed to reveal any clues after a 10-year-old boy from Ohio was swept away from a lakeside beach, the Conneaut Police Department confirmed on Tuesday that Hunter Ebie’s body was recovered and taken to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“It is with great sadness to report 10-year-old Hunter has been recovered,” the department said in an update Tuesday. “Please keep Hunter’s family in your thoughts and prayers.”
OHIO DIVER FOUND DEAD IN LAKE ERIE
After a days-long search, officials say the body of a 10-year-old boy who went missing in Lake Erie has been recovered. (Conneaut Police Department)
Police said that Ebie was carried away by a strong rip current while visiting Conneaut Township Park with his mother and a friend on Friday afternoon.
A GoFundMe, organized by a family friend, said that the boy was wept away in front of his family.
“Hunter was ankle deep in the water and just like that, he was swept away,” the GoFundMe said. “This happened in front of his family. His mother, Diana, fought those waves until she almost gave up her life as well trying to find Hunter.”
Lake Erie with the Cleveland skyline in the background. (Angelo Merendino/Corbis via Getty Images)
The family statement, obtained by FOX 8, reads, in part, “words cannot express. He was a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin and just an overall caring and loving kid.”
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“We propose to you that more life preservers [are needed], awareness of rip tides, knowledge of rip tides for those unfamiliar with how strong these waters can be,” the family’s statement said. “We do not want any more victims to die in these tragic waters. Hunter will be forever loved and missed.”
Ahead of the boy’s death, the National Weather Service issued a warning Friday morning about rip currents, advising swimmers to stay out of the water.
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If you do get caught in a rip current, the NWS suggests:
- Do not fight the current
- Swim out of the current, then to shore
- If you can’t escape, float or tread water
- If you need help, call or wave for assistance
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Conneaut Police Department for comment.
