A group of children in Pennsylvania were reportedly playing near a creek when one of them slipped and was swept away by the current. Lin'ajah Brooker had just turned 6 years old, and now her family fears the worst — that they will never celebrate another birthday with her. Crews began a rescue mission on March 23, but as the hours passed, efforts switched toward recovery.
Lin'ajah was playing near the fast-moving Chester Creek near 8th Street in Chester when she accidentally fell into the water, ABC 6 reported. The water was reportedly filled with debris, making a rescue dangerous, but crews got to work. Sadly, more than 36 hours later, there was still no sign of Lin'ajah, and her family's hope turned to sorrow.
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A storm moved into the area Saturday.
According to ABC 6, heavy rains soaked the area on Saturday, leaving a tremendous amount of water behind. When Lin'ajah and her friends were playing near 8th Street about 7 Saturday evening, she reportedly slipped on the mud and moved into the fast-moving waters. A massive search began to try to rescue Lin'ajah.
Several agencies came together to look for her.
Several fire companies worked for the next several hours, per ABC 6, and the US Coast Guard continued efforts throughout the night. According to Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley, a person could only survive three hours in the cold, fast-moving water.
She fell into dangerous waters.
Shirley said the area where Lin'ajah fell made the search difficult.
"There's a lot of debris in the water, which poses a potential hazard to our responders, but they've been trained to deal with those situations," he said. "We have light towers set up, we're also flying some drones that have infrared and thermal imaging technology."
It's unclear why the children were playing in the area.
Her family is heartbroken.
Lin'ajah's grandmother, Kim Richardson, took to social media to share love for her granddaughter. She posted a video asking for help and many left thoughtful comments.
Some offered help by asking, "What can the community do to help"
Many people prayed. "I'm lost for words I don't even know to say all I can do is pray for you Kim," a comment reads.
"I pray God strength upon you and your family," another person wrote.
Richardson shared a series of photos of the child with the caption, "I just can't believe it this is so hard you supposed to buried me you were only 6 short live."
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By Sunday, the search had switched to a recovery mission.
Shirley told ABC News that with heavy currents in the creek on Saturday, it is likely the child would have made it to the Delaware River within nine minutes, potentially too fast for rescue crews.
"She might have already been in the Delaware when we were just getting on scene," he said.
Chester Mayor Stefan Roots called upon government leaders to create safe places for children to play, ABC News reported. He said these children were tragically in the wrong place "at the very wrong time."
