Body of missing boy, 6, recovered from Merrimack River
Jun. 12—NEWBURYPORT — The search for a 6-year-old Lowell boy missing since Thursday night when he and members of his family slipped into the Merrimack River off Deer Island ended Sunday about 1:30 p.m. when his body was found in waters near Pipers Quarry Lane, according to police.
His mother, Boua DeChhat, died in an attempt to rescue Mas DeChhat and his 7-year-old sister. Boua DeChhat, 29, managed to hand her daughter to a boater before she drowned.
"It is with a great sadness we must report the body of the young boy has been recovered. The family has been notified and we pray this gives the family some closure," an Amesbury police official said in a statement.
Newburyport police say a kayaker in the Pipers Quarry area of the Merrimack found the boy's body. His body will be brought to the state's chief medical examiner for positive identification, according to Newburyport police.
On Thursday, Boua DeChhat, her 31-year-old husband — whose name was not released by authorities — and their children went fishing and swimming on Deer Island — a recreational area accessible by road that juts into the Merrimack River in Amesbury, near the Newburyport line.
About 7 p.m., Boua DeChhat's husband was grabbing gear from their car when the accident occurred.
Mas was reaching for a stick in the water when he fell in and was pulled away by the current, according to the statement from police. His sister tried to grab him and she, too, fell in and became caught in the current.
The mother, who was not an experienced swimmer, entered the water to try to save her children. Boua DeChhat and her son and daughter were dragged by the current toward the nearby Whittier Bridge.
By this time, the father had returned to the water's edge, the statement continues. Upon seeing his family in the water, he entered to try and rescue them. He is also not an experienced swimmer, according to authorities, so he struggled and could not reach his family.
The current carried Boua DeChhat and her daughter under the Whittier Bridge and out into the river to the west, where a boater saw them and pulled them aboard.
Mas was not seen with them.
The two were transported to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, where Boua DeChhat was pronounced dead. The girl was treated and released.
The father managed to make his way back to shore after grabbing a rock and was transported to Seabrook Emergency Room for treatment of exposure and hypothermia.
Dozens were involved in the days-long search to find the boy. Officials called the search a rescue until noon Friday when it was deemed a recovery, meaning they believed the boy was dead. Among those assisting in the search were the State Police Underwater Recovery Unit, along with four boat operators from its marine unit.
Also helping out were Boston Fire Department divers, the Amesbury and Newburyport Fire and Police departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, and police and fire departments from surrounding communities.
Other agencies that assisted in the search were the Newburyport harbormaster, Massachusetts Environmental Police, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, Cataldo Ambulance, Seacoast Chief Fire Officers Mutual Aid District, and the Newbury harbormaster. The Merrimac, Salisbury, Haverhill and East Kingston, New Hampshire, fire departments also provided mutual aid.
State police assigned to the Essex District Attorney's Office are leading the investigation of the boy's death as they would for all cases of unnatural deaths in the county.
On Friday, an online fundraising campaign was launched on GoFundMe.com. As of Sunday afternoon, $85,907 was donated to the family.
The father is identified as Sammy DeChhat. The other children range in age from 7 to 14, according to the fundraiser page.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
