Search teams have yet to find the 9-month-old baby and his 2-year-old sister who were swept away in flash floods Saturday evening in Bucks County, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.
Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said the plan is to “scale down” rescue operations Wednesday if the children – Conrad and Matilda “Mattie” Sheils – are still missing. Ground crews have scoured an area of roughly 117 acres adjacent to Houghs Creek, he said.
“We have searched the entire flood zone more than a dozen times,” Brewer told reporters during a brief news conference.
Sonar technology, drones and dogs have also been used to attempt to locate the children. Brewer said authorities will shift Wednesday to underwater dive operations, beginning at the creek and moving toward the Delaware River.
Brewer said he will no longer provide regular media updates on the search, a massive undertaking that has drawn teams from eight nearby counties, including Philadelphia.
Officials on Monday identified the five people whose bodies have been recovered from the area – the children’s mother, 32-year-old Katie Seley, Enzo Depiero, 78, Linda Depiero, 74, Susan Barnhart, 53, and Yuko Love, 64.
All were driving Saturday on State Route 532, also known as Washington Crossing Road, when the creek quickly overtook the roadway following a period of heavy rain. Authorities have confirmed that none of the victims drove into high water, Brewer said Monday, adding that the water enveloped them.
Conrad and Mattie’s father, Jim Sheils, along with their 4-year-old brother, Jack, escaped the rising waters, as did Katie Seley’s mother, Dahlia. The family, who lives in Charleston, South Carolina, was in the area to visit relatives and friends, and, at the time of the flooding, they were driving to a family barbecue.
A GoFundMe set up to support the Sheils had raised more than $90,000 as of late Tuesday afternoon.
Washington Crossing United Methodist Church, which has served as a command post for emergency responders, is hosting a prayer vigil for victims of the flood Thursday at 7 p.m. Also known as The Crossing, the church is located at 1895 Wrightstown Road.
Brewer on Tuesday urged the public to continue to stay away from the flood zone, and the Upper Makefield Police Department posted on social media that authorities are not recruiting volunteers to aid in search efforts.
River Road between Woodside and Taylorsville roads, Route 532 from Dolington Road to Taylorsville Road, and Taylorsville Road between Route 532 and Woodside Road remained closed Tuesday, state officials said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is in the process of removing debris from the streets, inspecting bridges and improving surfaces to reopen affected roads, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Tuesday.
