This news is very hard for me. The kids families don't live too far from me and my son is nearly 14. My heart goes out to all of them. Especially the the parents who knew the boys were going out look at the swollen creek and didn't stop them. I just can't get it out of my mind. I pray they find the strength to carry on. I couldn't.
From the Carroll County Times...
Bodies Recoverd
KEYMAR - The bodies of two teenagers presumed to have drowned in a rain-swollen creek along the Carroll-Frederick county border were recovered Thursday, ending a two-day search.
Two boogie boards also found during the search - one still attached to its user's body - led authorities to believe the two had entered the creek to boogie board and were swept away by the water, said Tom Wilson of the Cecil County-based Susquehanna Search and Rescue team, who assisted in the search.
The body of Michael White, a 14-year-old Ladiesburg resident, was found about 10:30 a.m. on the south side of the creek by two friends of the family, who were helping in the search, said 1st Sgt. Russell Newell, a Maryland State Police spokesman. White was found about 150 yards west of the Md. 194 bridge area where searchers had been concentrating the bulk of their efforts, Newell said.
After expanding their search west, the body of Thomas Plunkard, 16, also of Ladiesburg, was discovered by a search dog farther downstream about 2 p.m., about a quarter-mile from the mouth of the Big Pipe Creek near Detour, Newell said.
Both bodies were transported to the Baltimore Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, he added.
News of the deaths saddened those in the community, some of whom were hanging on to hope the two could still possibly be alive.
"I'm taking it kinda hard," said Ashley Harmon, 13, who identified herself as White's girlfriend of one month. "He was a really nice guy, and he always cared for people. ... Everything about him was happy, and he was always proud of himself and was really confident."
Plunkard's great-uncle, Sam Summers, 64, of nearby Walkersville, came with his black Labradore retriever Penny to help with the search efforts.
"Tom was a great kid; he just turned 16. He was trying to get his driver's license," Summers said. "Regular kid - you know how they think nothing can hurt them."
The two boys were reported missing Tuesday evening after saying they were going to the creek, police said. When they didn't come home, the father of one of the boys went looking for them, found their clothing and a bicycle and called the police.
Tony Cosner, of Keymar, said he saw the boys while driving over the Md. 194 bridge between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"I seen 'em, didn't think nothing of it," he said. "They were just standing there; they looked like they were ready to get away from the water."
Days of continuous rain had doubled the normally calm creek, known in the area as a popular swimming hole, to 100 feet wide and up to 8 feet deep in some areas, said 1st Sgt. Chris Sasse of the state police's Frederick barracks.
About 50 people resumed the effort Thursday, which included divers, boats and a helicopter, after rising, debris-filled waters hampered search efforts Wednesday.
Phil Morse, whose daughter was friends with White through the Keymar Evangelical Wesleyan Church youth group, said they saw him last weekend at a church car wash that was raising money for a mission trip to New Mexico and Texas.
"Mikey was well-liked," he said. "They are all pretty devastated. It's a tragic loss."
From the Carroll County Times...
Bodies Recoverd
KEYMAR - The bodies of two teenagers presumed to have drowned in a rain-swollen creek along the Carroll-Frederick county border were recovered Thursday, ending a two-day search.
Two boogie boards also found during the search - one still attached to its user's body - led authorities to believe the two had entered the creek to boogie board and were swept away by the water, said Tom Wilson of the Cecil County-based Susquehanna Search and Rescue team, who assisted in the search.
The body of Michael White, a 14-year-old Ladiesburg resident, was found about 10:30 a.m. on the south side of the creek by two friends of the family, who were helping in the search, said 1st Sgt. Russell Newell, a Maryland State Police spokesman. White was found about 150 yards west of the Md. 194 bridge area where searchers had been concentrating the bulk of their efforts, Newell said.
After expanding their search west, the body of Thomas Plunkard, 16, also of Ladiesburg, was discovered by a search dog farther downstream about 2 p.m., about a quarter-mile from the mouth of the Big Pipe Creek near Detour, Newell said.
Both bodies were transported to the Baltimore Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, he added.
News of the deaths saddened those in the community, some of whom were hanging on to hope the two could still possibly be alive.
"I'm taking it kinda hard," said Ashley Harmon, 13, who identified herself as White's girlfriend of one month. "He was a really nice guy, and he always cared for people. ... Everything about him was happy, and he was always proud of himself and was really confident."
Plunkard's great-uncle, Sam Summers, 64, of nearby Walkersville, came with his black Labradore retriever Penny to help with the search efforts.
"Tom was a great kid; he just turned 16. He was trying to get his driver's license," Summers said. "Regular kid - you know how they think nothing can hurt them."
The two boys were reported missing Tuesday evening after saying they were going to the creek, police said. When they didn't come home, the father of one of the boys went looking for them, found their clothing and a bicycle and called the police.
Tony Cosner, of Keymar, said he saw the boys while driving over the Md. 194 bridge between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"I seen 'em, didn't think nothing of it," he said. "They were just standing there; they looked like they were ready to get away from the water."
Days of continuous rain had doubled the normally calm creek, known in the area as a popular swimming hole, to 100 feet wide and up to 8 feet deep in some areas, said 1st Sgt. Chris Sasse of the state police's Frederick barracks.
About 50 people resumed the effort Thursday, which included divers, boats and a helicopter, after rising, debris-filled waters hampered search efforts Wednesday.
Phil Morse, whose daughter was friends with White through the Keymar Evangelical Wesleyan Church youth group, said they saw him last weekend at a church car wash that was raising money for a mission trip to New Mexico and Texas.
"Mikey was well-liked," he said. "They are all pretty devastated. It's a tragic loss."
Prayers go out to the boy's families.
go out to the families.
My heart goes out to the families.
