Search continues for boy missing in the Merrimack River; mom dies trying to rescue her 2 children

Jun. 10—NEWBURYPORT — The search continues for a 6-year-old Lowell boy who disappeared into the Merrimack River off Deer Island shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday night. But as rescue efforts stretched into Friday morning, emergency responders are becoming less hopeful the boy will be found alive.

The boy's mother died trying to rescue two of her children who entered the river and got caught in the current.

Newburyport Fire Chief Christopher LeClaire said what has been labeled a rescue search for the boy could become a recovery search as soon as noon.

"As time goes by, certainly the chances of a (safe) recovery diminish," LeClaire said around 8:30 a.m. "We'll be in recovery mode shortly but we're continuing the search and see what we come up with."

The boy, along with his two sisters, brother and parents, were fishing on the Newburyport side of Deer Island when two of the children entered the water.

The mother then went into the river to retrieve the children, and received help from a nearby fishing boat. The woman was able to lift her 7-year-old daughter onto the boat but could not hoist herself onto the vessel.

The 29-year-old mother then disappeared below the water's surface. Rescuers soon pulled the unresponsive woman out of the water and found she was not breathing. She was given CPR and taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead. The deceased woman's name was not released pending notification of relatives.

The family was fishing and swimming when at around 7 p.m., the 31-year-old father returned to where the car was parked to retrieve some gear, according to officials. At around the same time the boy reached for something in the water and fell in and was pulled away by the swift current. The mother and daughter entered the water to save the boy and were also caught in the current.

By this time the father had returned to the water's edge, saw his daughter and wife in the water, and entered the river. He tried reaching them but quickly got in trouble himself. He made it back to shore and ended up being transported to Seabrook Hospital for exposure/hypothermia, according to State Police spokesperson David Procopio.

The current carried the mother and daughter west, under the Whittier Bridge and out into the river to the west of the bridge A boater saw the mother and daughter struggling and pulled them from the water onto his boat. The mother was transported to Anna Jaques hospital where she was pronounced dead, Procopio added.

In addition to local and area firefighters and harbormasters, a 10-person State Police dive team and a Coast Guard helicopter were assisting in the search Friday morning.

"We've seen several tragedies on the river but not when a whole family was involved. It's a sad situation; we had a lot of hope last night," LeClaire said.

LeClaire said Deer Island is a very popular fishing area with typical Merrimack River conditions. High tide had just ended when the accident took place.

The Chain Bridge in Newburyport and the Hines Bridge in Amesbury, which connect on Deer Island, were closed to traffic for several hours last night but re-opened before the morning commute.

Also assisting at the scene were emergency responders from Amesbury, Salisbury, Newbury, Haverhill, Merrimac, East Kingston, New Hampshire, Cataldo Ambulance and the Environmental Police. State police detectives from the Essex County District Attorney's Office also responded due to the death of the mother.

State Police divers are using two methods to find the boy. The first involves a boat relaying abnormal sonar readings to divers who then check them out. The second method involves a boat pulling two divers, one on each side, using a tow bar.

During the search this morning, a tow bar snapped when it hit what could be construction debris from the Whittier Bridge project. The divers are staged at a privately owned dock underneath the Whittier Bridge, according to a trooper at the scene Friday morning.

Helicopters, one of which was buzzing the area Friday morning, can see the the bottom of the river in spots. During the evening, the helicopter used infrared sensors to look for body heat in the water, according to LeClaire.

Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.