The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday for three missing children near the Crescent City Connection Bridge in New Orleans.
Missing is 14-year-old Brandy Wilson, her 15-year-old boyfriend, and her 8-year-old sister Ally Wilson.
Family members say The group was taking their 5-year-old brother to a park near the bridge “to give her mom a break” when Brandy fell into the river. Her boyfriend and the younger sister went into the water to rescue her, but all three children were pulled down by the current and have not been seen since. The 5-year-old brother then ran home to get help.
“I need my kids. They know I need them,” Octavia Wilson said Sunday. “My daughter said she was trying to give me a break. I don’t need a break, I need my children.”
The girl’s father, Allen Barry, told the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate that Saturday was the first time the girls were allowed to leave the home on their own. His sister said the girls were allowed to go with the older 15-year-old boyfriend because their mother, who suffers from a heart condition, had to go to the hospital.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Nedra Berry told the newspaper. “That’s the most painful thing I ever heard was a man cry out for his kids.”
Family members said the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to get a dive team into the river on Sunday, but rainy weather made the search difficult. New Orleans police and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office were also at the levee to assist the search.
Shwron Johnson, the girls’ aunt, said that the family has lost hope that the children will be found alive. They’re just hoping that they can give them a proper burial.
“I know that they are not breathing in that water. I just hope that they could get their bodies back all in one part so we can do the proper things and give them a proper service,” Johnson said. “That’s the only hope we have.”
The USCG ended its search and rescue operations after searching 93 miles along the Mississippi River for more than 55 hours. The Regional Transit Authority suspended its Algiers-Canal Street ferry during the search, hoping the clear the search area.
“The decision to suspend any search and rescue case is never easy but considering the extensive search efforts of our Coast Guard men and women, in conjunction with other response agencies, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend our active search for the three children,” Capt. Kelly Denning, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans commander, said in a statement. “Our prayers are with the families during this difficult time.”
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