Officials "strongly believe" body of 2-year-old recovered from Delaware River is missing Mattie Sheils
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Upper Makefield Police believe the 2-year-old body that was pulled from the Delaware River in the city's Port Richmond section Friday evening was of missing Mattie Sheils from the Bucks County flooding last weekend.
Officials gave a timeline of how the body was discovered.
There was an anonymous 911 of a body in the Delaware River around 5:04 p.m. but the call was limited and unsure of the exact location. Two minutes later, Philadelphia Police received another call and the caller gave a physical description of a child and gave a location that was near the Philadelphia Wastewater Disposal Plant near the near 3900 block of North Delaware Avenue.
"This location is south of the Delaware of the Betsy Ross Bridge," Upper Makefield Chief Officer Tim Brewer said.
Brewer continued to say district officers with the Philadelphia Police Marine Unit went to the area and the child was found in debris against the pier. Around 5:29 p.m., the child was taken out of the water by the Marine Unit and brought to the Philadelphia Fire Department who were waiting on the ground.
"At 5:30 p.m. the child was pronounced dead and transported to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office," Brewer said. "Based on the physical description of the child and the clothing found on the child, we strongly believe the 2-year-old Mattie Sheils has been found pending further identification process."
The siblings were heading to a BBQ with their family when the car got caught in the dangerous, rushing waters.
Their father, grandmother, and 4-year-old brother were able to get to safety. Their mom, Katie Seley, was killed along with 4 others in the area.
Officials continued giving thanks to the 911 callers and the public for the outpouring support and words of encouragement.
"This has been an extremely intense and emotional time for the family and for our first responders," he said. "And for the community, all our hearts are broken this evening. Although Mattie was found 32 miles away from where she was lost, she has never been closer to all of our hearts as she is now."
"We ask that you please respect the privacy of the Sheils' family and the Seley families as they process all what is happen over the past seven days," Brewer said. "We can begin to fathom the pain they're experiencing but we will never leave their sides as they deal with this strategy."
An autopsy will be conducted by the Philadelphia Coroner's Office Saturday morning as the aviation and the Marine units continue the search on the Delaware River.
Officials say the search will continue Saturday for missing 9-month-old Conrad.
"We will reunite him [Conrad] with his family and sister," Brewer said. "We will be in the water tomorrow."
