Li’najah Brooker.Photo:City of Chester, PA
City of Chester, PA
After authorities announced that they have ceased searching for Li’najah Brooker,the 6-year-old girl who fell into a Pennsylvania creekalmost a week ago, her father remembered her as “his angel.”
“She was a sweetheart,” Montez Brooker said in an interview with NBC affiliateWCAU. Although the girl’s dad told WCAU he feels his daughter is still out there, he recognizes that “she’s gone.”
Officials said that the girl was playing with her friends near the creek when she slipped and fell into the creek, ABC affiliateWPIVreported.
At a news conference over the weekend, Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley said local emergency responders and the Coast Guard searched the creek with the assistance of drones and boats.
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In a statement Tuesday, Chester Mayor Stefan Roots expressed his gratitude to the various agencies involved in looking for the missing child for the last few days.
“Unfortunately, despite our collective efforts, we have been unable to locate the child,” Roots said. “It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge this outcome. Our hearts ache for the family as they navigate through unimaginable grief. To the family, please know that the entire community stands with you during this incredibly difficult time.”
Meanwhile, Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio group that assists in finding the lost and missing, has joined in the search for the missingWPVIreported, spending Thursday examining the creek. They were expected to resume looking for the child on Friday.
source: people.com
