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Body of Missing 4-Year-Old Boy Found 13 Days After He Fell Into River While Fishing with Family: ‘The Hardest Moment’
@Source: people.com
Azriel Lopez, a 4-year-old Massachusetts boy, has been found dead nearly two weeks after he was reported missingThe boy’s body was pulled from the Merrimack River on May 2He had fallen out of a boat and was swept away by the current while fishing with his family on April 19
The body of a 4-year-old Massachusetts boy has been pulled from the Merrimack River in Massachusetts, nearly two weeks after he went missing.
Azriel Lopez’s was recovered on May 2 in Tewksbury, about six miles from where his family said he fell into the river 13 days prior, according to a press release from the Middlesex district attorney, the Lowell Police superintendent and the Massachusetts State Police colonel.
At around 9 a.m. Friday, an off-duty lieutenant with the Massachusetts State Police was on the Merrimack River in a personal boat when he came across what appeared to be a body near a golf course, the release stated. The Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit and Dive Team was called to the scene, and the body was "tentatively identified" as Azriel.
No foul play is suspected, and the case has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to the release.
The boy — originally from Lawrence — was reported missing on April 19, when he fell into the river while fishing with family, per Boston 25 News.
"This is the hardest moment that we’re going to have to overcome, since we finally found him," Linda Lopez, Azriel's aunt, told Boston 25. "He's here now, and we're able to give him a proper burial and get the closure that we finally need."
Photos obtained by the outlet showed the parents of the 4-year-old gathering on land near where his body was recovered. CBS Boston reported that a memorial has been set up in Lowell, where friends and family members have set up balloons and flowers in Azriel's memory.
An initial missing persons flyer stated that the Lowell Police and Fire departments received a 911 call at around 5:44 p.m. on April 19 after Azriel fell into the water by the river's Western Canal — near 300 Arcand Drive in Lowell — and was swept away by the current.
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Friday's release stated that dozens of agencies around the state were involved in Azriel's search and recovery, including the Lowell Police Drone unit and Massachusetts State Police Airwing, which used infrared technology to search the waters, as well as the Massachusetts Environmental Police, which used sonar and side-scanning sonar.
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