Law enforcement officials ended their hope of finding a missing seven-year-old Ohio boy alive.
The boy went missing while fishing with his family at Eastwood Metropark. The Dayton Fire Department announced that they transitioned the search into a recovery mission.
Lucas Rosales was last seen around 6:40 pm on Saturday, April 29. After reviewing the information and timeline of the incident, Dayton Fire Captain Brad French stated that they decided to change the operation to a recovery mission. Despite searching the land and water for about 21 hours over three days, there was no sign of Lucas.
Agustin Rosales, Lucas’s father, and sister Da’Najiah Wakefield were with the boy on the day he went missing. Agustin had warned Lucas to stay away from the water, and Lucas left to join other family members at the park because he was being noisy and scaring the fish. Unfortunately, he never reached the other family members.
Lucas’s father, sister, and a family friend searched for him after he disappeared. Wakefield shared that they’re unsure of what happened next. A family member heard a splash and crying, but beyond that, the details are hazy.
Captain French mentioned that over 100 people, including various rescue teams, boats, volunteer search groups, and K-9 units, participated in the search around where Lucas was last seen. They searched the Stillwater and Great Miami rivers and drained a nearby pond, but there weren’t any breakthroughs in finding the child. On Monday, a Dayton Police spokesperson stated that investigators don’t suspect foul play in Lucas’s disappearance.
Lucas’ mother, Amanda Rosales, told CBS affiliate WHIO that she prays to have her son back in her arms alive. “I just want to hold him, that’s the first thing,” she said. “I want to hold him and I want to keep him warm and safe.”
