Owen Jones, a 4-year-old from Monticello, Indiana, was last seen on Thursday playing near Deer Creek in Riley Park. A witness nearby observed him being swept up by flood waters and struggling to regain his footing. Before help could reach him, he was carried away by the fast moving water. While Indiana Conservation officers continue their search for the little boy, the outlook appears to be bleak. Unfortunately, Jones is not the only victim of the severe weather that has been tearing through much of the central United States. Not only has their been strong storms, but this weather has left very dangerous flooding in its wake. As we embark upon the holiday weekend, the death toll has risen to nine, according to NBC News .
On Friday, the bodies of two Missouri people were discovered around 4 a.m. on a flooded rural road. John Reinhardt, a 20-year-old, and Caitlin Frangel, a 19-year-old, are both from the Hazelwood area and were reported missing on May 15. As the weeks past by, it seemed less and less likely that they would be found alive. It wasn’t difficult to guess what took the lives of these two young people but the hard truth was confirmed through an autopsy. Both John and Caitlin drowned in the flood waters, likely after becoming trapped at night and not being able to see how extensive the flooding was until it was too late.
The search for 4-year-old Owen Jones continues along Deer Creek. Officials say the search has shifted to a recovery effort.
DNR plans to give us an update on the search efforts shortly.
Owen was last seen wearing a blue sleeveless shirt & blue shorts. pic.twitter.com/44fT3WoC3i
— Aaron Cantrell (@AaronTheNewsGuy) May 24, 2019
“We believe they went into it in the dark, not knowing the roadway was flooded, and they were unable to get out,” said Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dallas Thompson.
Meanwhile, in Arkansas, communities around Tulsa have also been threatened by the ongoing flooding. While the Keystone Dam northwest of the city has been doing its job, the situation still poses a risk to all who live in the area, especially children. Young children especially can easily be swept away by the flood waters in mere seconds.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum pleaded with parents to keep their children safe as the danger escalates. He was shocked to hear about how many children were observed playing around the flooded waters, strongly admonishing the parents that allowed their kids in that threatening situation.
“The most disturbing thing that I’ve heard in the last 24 hours from our first responders are reports of parents letting their kids play in the river. If you’re a parent that’s letting your kid play in this river right now, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
