Officials recover body of 11-year-old boy who went missing in Lake Erie
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CONNEAUT, Ohio (WJW) – After a dayslong search, officials say the body of an 11-year-old boy who went missing in Lake Erie has been recovered.
Search crews have been looking for the suburban Akron boy, Hunter, since he was carried away by a rip current while visiting Conneaut Township Park with his mother and a friend Friday afternoon.
In an update Tuesday evening, Conneaut police confirmed the boy’s body was recovered and taken to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“Please keep Hunter’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” the department said.
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A statement was read on behalf of Hunter’s family during a Conneaut City Council meeting Monday evening, saying, in part, “words cannot express. He was a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin and just an overall caring and loving kid.”
The National Weather Service had issued a warning about rip currents in the area Friday morning. The family said in the statement they were unaware of the warning.
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“We propose to you that more life preservers [are needed], awareness of rip tides, knowledge of rip tides for those unfamiliar with how strong these waters can be,” the statement went on to say. “We do not want any more victims to die in these tragic waters. Hunter will be forever loved and missed.”
A 15-year-old Boy Scout is now leading a campaign to improve water safety at the park.
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