In One Day's Time, 'Back-to-Back Child Drownings'

A double tragedy in Michigan over the weekend, with one child dead after falling into the Flint River, then another gone missing in the same river the very next day. "We had back-to-back child drownings within 24 hours on the same river, two different parts of the city, and both of them are fatalities," Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson tells USA Today.

• First case: Swanson says that on Saturday, a 7-year-old boy with special needs wandered off and stumbled into the Flint River, drowning. "There was a number of agencies that tried to rescue, and ultimately, it turned into recovery," Swanson said in a Sunday Facebook video, per People.

• Second case: The day after the boy drowned, a 6-year-old girl fell into the river and remains missing, per Swanson. He says the girl, now presumed dead, was playing with a 9-year-old companion late Sunday afternoon when they wandered away from a local home and ended up sliding down long cement banks into the water. "One of our sergeants actually saw the victim yesterday, distant, with a little pink shirt," Swanson noted.
• River dangers: "The problem with this river is it's so dangerous, and it's filled with hazards—trees, and water that goes under the banks where a body can hide and rest," Swanson said in a follow-up video posted Monday. "The science behind it, with air temperature, water temperature, the size of the victim—that all plays into where we look and into what level of water."
• Search: Swanson says as part of the search efforts, which involve boats, a helicopter, and drones, they've lowered the river's water level about 18 inches by closing two dams further upstream. WJRT reports that "unprecedented levels of people and equipment" are in play, with more than a dozen different agencies assisting the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. "Seeing this is really heart-wrenching," one local says of the search.
• Warning: In the meantime, Flint Fire Chief Theron Wiggins cautions families hanging out near the river as the weather gets warmer. "Playing near the Flint River is dangerous due to hidden debris and strong currents," he says, per USA Today.

(More Michigan stories.)