‘Little pink shirt’ spotted in search for girl who fell into river, MI officials say

Crews are searching for an 8-year-old girl who went missing after falling into a river in which another child drowned the day before, according to Michigan officials.

Authorities believe the girl fell into the Flint River on Saturday, April 28, Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson said in a social media post. A 7-year-old boy with special needs “wandered away and drowned” in the same river, in a different part of Flint, on April 27, he said.

“The problem with this river is it’s so dangerous and it’s filled with hazards,” such as fallen trees and deceptively strong currents, Swanson said.

Dive teams, helicopters and boats have all been combing the river in search of the girl, which Swanson said is now focused on recovery and not rescue.

“One of our sergeants actually saw the victim yesterday, distant with a little pink shirt,” he said in an April 29 video update.

According to Swanson, many of the first responders who recovered the boy who drowned are now helping search for the missing girl.

Flint is a roughly 70-mile drive northwest of Detroit.

This story was originally published April 30, 2024 at 9:46 AM with the headline "‘Little pink shirt’ spotted in search for girl who fell into river, MI officials say."