The body of a young boy who fell into a Greenville reservoir was recovered Tuesday, about 15 hours after the child fell from his father's boat into the water.
At about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, divers located a body in the water that matched the description of the boy. By 9:30 a.m., officials had confirmed that the body recovered was 3-year-old Ledaro Micky.
A witness said he saw the boy, who was fishing with his father, reach toward the water before he tumbled in Monday evening. The father jumped in after his son, but was only able to frantically touch his son's foot as he slipped away.
There’s a strong current in the water due to the pumps from the nearby city power plant. Rescuers shut down the pumps right away, but believe the boy was sucked into the pipe system and pulled through to the other side of Power Lane where his body was found.
“I couldn’t imagine what it’s like to lose a child,” said Doug Caison, Greenville Fire Chief.
Divers scoured the water for six hours Monday night, before lightning shut down the search.
“It’s a very difficult search, especially in water like this, it’s zero visibility,” said Caison. “In anything with children, fires, drowning, it’s never good."
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Overnight, public works sealed off the pipe to drain down the water and doubled the number of pumps at daybreak. Searchers in a boat finally spotted the boy.
With a justice of the peace at their side, the little boy’s parents made the unimaginably painful confirmation: their only son is gone.
The family didn’t miss a minute of the search. They’re asking for privacy as they begin to grieve.
NBC 5's Frank Heinz contributed to this report.
