A body that matched the description of a missing 5-year-old boy was pulled from the American River in California, the Sacramento County Coroner’s office confirmed Tuesday.
Ziyon Butler went missing around 6:30 p.m. on Memorial day while visiting Discovery Park with his family, according to multiple sources.
The boy’s disappearance prompted a park closure for investigations, but the park has since reopened. Officials searched through the park and even into nearby neighborhoods with K9s in hopes of locating the boy.
A body that matched the description of the boy was found the next day under a bridge in the American River of Discovery Park Tuesday morning.
The family was near the beach at the park that day when a fight broke out right next to them. The chaos from the fight distracted Butlers and the boy, who was playing near the water and going in and out the river, was suddenly nowhere to be found, CBS13 reported.
Authorities at first didn’t provide quick assistance to the Butler’s family, according to one family member, who said officials told a member of the boy’s family to wait after she reported the child as missing.
“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.
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.
‘Camping Resort Tragedy’
A search for another 5-year-old in Ohio ended with tragic news, according to authorities.
The body of Cameron Walters 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.
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.
“This is every parent’s nightmare. I couldn’t imagine, couldn’t even imagine, what they’re going through,” she told ABC6.
The second day of the search, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Ohio Task Force One officials used sonar equipment and cadaver dogs in hopes of locating Cameron, PeoplesDefender reported.
Shortly before Cameron was reported missing, another camper had seen the boy playing on the campgrounds.
Investigators said foul play is ruled out. Cameron’s cause of death was not provided.