The search for 5-year-old Cameron Walters, who went missing at a camping resort on Memorial Day, has ended with tragic news, according to authorities.
The boy’s body was located by a search crew in Mineral Springs Lake in Peebles late on Tuesday around 6 p.m. He had been missing more than 24-hours by the time he was found.
“We have recovered the 5-year-old missing in the water near the boatdock area,” Adams County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mike Estep said in a statement obtained by FOX19.
The Walters family owns a campsite at Mineral Springs Lake Resort—an approximately 350-acre resort that includes over 10 miles of trails.
Officials said the boy’s disappearance prompted a massive, widespread search that involved support from multiple agencies across the state. In total, hundreds of officials and volunteers searched for Cameron, PeoplesDefender reported.
Search teams and volunteers looked for miles around the campsite’s wooded area Monday and Tuesday. Authorities said people looked for him on horseback, others walked, used golf carts, and ATV’s.
“We check cars trunks. We went in RVs, any nook and cranny,” a camper at the resort told ABC6.
“This is every parent’s nightmare. I couldn’t imagine, couldn’t even imagine, what they’re going through,” she added.
On the second day of the search, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Ohio Task Force One officials used sonar equipment and trained dogs in hopes of locating Cameron, PeoplesDefender reported.
In a later update that day, Adams County Sheriff’s Office Sergeants, Estep, and Randy Walters told the outlet they had expanded the search outside of the resort even though there was no indication the boy was abducted.
Shortly before Cameron was reported missing, another camper had seen the boy playing on the campgrounds.
“I saw the little boy all weekend. He was really cute, really cute, adorable child. He was doing kid stuff with his sister and his cousin, playing on his bike and just having fun, you know, doing kid stuff,” a camper told ABC6.
Investigators said foul play is ruled out. Cameron’s cause of death was not provided.
‘Tragedy at Discovery Park’
On that same Tuesday, a body that matched the description of another missing 5-year-old boy was pulled from the American River in California, the Sacramento County Coroner’s office confirmed.
Ziyon Butler went missing around 6:30 p.m. on Memorial day while visiting Discovery Park with his family, according to multiple sources.
After a fight distracted both parents, the boy, who was playing near the water and had been going in and out, was suddenly nowhere to be found, CBS13 reported.
“I stopped four police officers yesterday because they had a fight, and I told them my grandson was missing, they told me to wait, they could not help me,” a family member told CBS13.
The boy’s disappearance prompted a park closure for investigations but has since reopened. Officials searched through the park and even into nearby neighborhoods with K9s in hopes of locating the boy.
Butler’s body was found under a bridge inside the American River of Discovery Park Tuesday morning.
Discovery Park is located just outside downtown Sacramento and is a 32-mile parkway that runs along the American River. The park consists of many smaller parks and boat launching points.
