Body of 6-year-old found after he fell into river trying to get ball, Illinois cops say
A 6-year-old boy died after falling into an Illinois river while trying to get a ball, police said.
Authorities were called to the Kankakee River around 3:08 p.m. on July 16 for reports of a possible drowning, according to a news release from the Kankakee Police Department.
When first responders arrived, multiple people were trying to find the boy, police said.
The boy fell off a dock and into the river while trying to retrieve a ball that went into the water, according to WLS.
“They were on the dock, playing. There was a ball involved. The ball went into the river, and the young child jumped in to retrieve his ball, and the mother, they did their best, but they just couldn’t reach the child,” Kankakee Police Department Chief Chris Kidwell told the news outlet.
Recent storms made the search effort difficult, according to WFLD.
“It makes the current much stronger, the water much murkier, and the debris coming down is much more dangerous,” Fire Chief Bryan LaRoche told the news outlet.
Around 5:22 p.m., the boy was found in 10 feet of water about 25 feet from shore, near a boat launch area where he was last seen, police said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
This story was originally published July 17, 2024 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Body of 6-year-old found after he fell into river trying to get ball, Illinois cops say."
