Emergency crews recover body of 5-year-old girl who went underwater in Longview Lake
Update: Emergency crews recovered the body of the 5-year-old girl before 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol was searching for a 5-year-old who went missing in Longview Lake on Saturday evening.
The Highway Patrol was notified about 5:50 p.m. Saturday that a 5-year-old girl had gone underwater and not resurfaced near the Mouse Creek Boat Ramp, an area where swimming isn’t allowed, said Sgt. Bill Lowe.
The child had been on a Lily Pad floating device with a group of other people.
It’s unclear what led to the girl being in the water. She was not wearing a life vest.
“They’re still continuing the search to locate the child’s body,” Lowe said.
By 8:50 p.m., the patrol tweeted the search turned to a recovery.
An underwater recovery team was going to attempt to dive in the area, Lowe said. The team was also using sonar equipment to search.
“My advice would be you want to make sure you’re wearing a life jacket,” Lowe said. “Anytime you’re in the water and you’re not a comfortable swimmer, not a good swimmer, it’s advisable to have a life jacket on.”
The Lee’s Summit Fire Department’s water rescue team and a Jackson County park ranger were also involved in the search.
This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 10:03 PM.
