‘Sad day’: Search for girl, 6, who fell into creek now considered recovery mission

CHESTER, Pa. — The search for a 6-year-old girl who was swept away in a rain-drenched creek in southeastern Pennsylvania has shifted to a recovery mission, authorities said Sunday.

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Law enforcement officials in Chester suspended the search around 5:45 p.m. EDT Sunday and said crews would return early Monday to search for the girl, KYW-TV reported. Family members have identified the child as Li’najah Brooker, a Chester Bureau of Fire spokesperson told the television station.

Her identity was also confirmed by the child’s aunt, Theresa Ham, during a news conference on Sunday, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. She described her niece as “a ray of sunshine” who was kind, loved TikTok videos and enjoyed family time.

“This is an extremely sad day for the City of Chester,” Chester Mayor Stefan Roots said during a news conference on Sunday. “This is a community that will wrap its arms around those (who) are hurting or who are in need.”

Earlier Sunday, Kimberly Richardson, who said she was the child’s grandmother, told WCAU that the family was bracing for the worst.

“I’m sad. My emotions are off the hinge,” Richardson told the television station. “I haven’t had sleep. I can’t eat. The only thing I’m thinking about is finding her.”

Emergency crews were called shortly after 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday after the girl was swept into Chester Creek near 7th Street and the Avenue of the States in Chester, WPVI-TV reported.

The Chester City police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and fire and police departments from other Delaware County towns were among the rescue crews searching for Brooker, the Inquirer reported.

John-Paul Shirley, the Chester Fire Department battalion chief, said that rescuers were always “looking for that miracle” but after dawn Sunday they conceded that the rescue operation had shifted to recovery mode, The Associated Press reported.

Chester Creek’s banks were swollen and muddy from heavy rains on Saturday, according to the Inquirer. Brooker was playing with two other children when she fell into the fast-moving waters of the creek.

One girl managed to get out of the water, but Brooker was swept away, WPVI reported.

“She went down a little too far with the other kids, and my 7-year-old daughter tried to hold her, and she was holding onto my daughter’s coat and I guess the wind took her,” Tyeesha Reynolds, Brooker’s aunt, said during Sunday’s news conference. “My nephew, he’s 19, he jumped in the water. My 12-year-old nephew jumped into the water.

“We all were trying to hope for the best; we’re still hoping for the best.”

Roots said it was unclear how the children ended up playing by the river, the Inquirer reported. He said either a small gap in a nearby park fence or a driveway that leads to the river are possibilities. The mayor said the city plans to address those issues.

“I think it’s difficult on everyone,” Shirley told the newspaper. “We all have families, we all have people that we love and I think none of us really want to place ourselves in the family’s shoes, so the best thing we can do for them is just support them, show them our love.”

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