Upper Makefield suspends search for Conrad Sheils, baby lost in Delaware River flood

Jo Ciavaglia and JD Mullane, Bucks County Courier Times
Updated ·3 min read
2

Upper Makefield police are suspending the active search for Conrad Sheils, the 9-month-old baby who disappeared with his mother, sister and others in the violent flash flood waters on July 15 near the Delaware River.

"At this point, we have exhausted all means of attempting to locate Conrad. With broken hearts, we regretfully announce that the active search for Conrad has concluded," Upper Makefield police announced Wednesday on their Facebook page, where it has regularly updated the public on post-flood search efforts

Conrad's family, who live in Charleston, South Carolina, have been notified of the decision and expressed their "deepest gratitude" for those involved in the search efforts and the community's outpouring of love support and kind words, the post stated.

Officials on Monday identified one of the victims in the flooding and the names of the two children still missing. Matilda Sheils, 2, and Conrad Sheils, 9 months, were swept out of their family’s hands during a flash flood in Upper Makefield Saturday evening. Their grandmother, who was holding one of the children, was later rescued. The children’s mother, Kate Seley, 32, died in the flooding. The children’s father, Jim and the couple’s older child both were rescued.

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Matilda "Mattie" Sheils, 2, and her brother Conrad, 9 months. The children's mother Katie Seley died in the July 15, 2023 flash floods, Seley's fiance, Jim Sheils, and the children's older brother Jack, 4, and Seley's mother, Dahlia Galindez, 62, of Charleston South Carolina, survived.
Matilda "Mattie" Sheils, 2, and her brother Conrad, 9 months. The children's mother Katie Seley died in the July 15, 2023 flash floods, Seley's fiance, Jim Sheils, and the children's older brother Jack, 4, and Seley's mother, Dahlia Galindez, 62, of Charleston South Carolina, survived.

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Since the weekend, Upper Makefield first responders have had marine units checking the Delaware River including along the banks of the river on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey sides, police said. Throughout the 11-day search agencies along the Delaware River all the way to Marcus Hook, south of Philadelphia, were notified of efforts.

Divers were able to get into the water and clear any outstanding areas, Upper Makefield police said. K-9 teams were used to check islands in the Delaware River and along the river banks.

The end of search announcement comes nearly a week after Conrad's 2-year-old sister, Matilda "Mattie" Sheils, was found floating in the Delaware River south of the Betsy Ross Bridge.

She was discovered 32 miles south of where she was last seen after the family’s car was caught up in waist-high water when Houghs Creek in Upper Makefield overflowed after up to 6 inches of rain fell over two hours. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office confirmed her death as accidental drowning.

Eleven vehicles carrying 19 people in the 1000 block of Washington Crossing Road, also called Route 532, were caught in what witnesses and survivors described as a wall of water that crashed downhill from Houghs Creek following a torrential rainstorm.

Among the six confirmed dead was the infant's mother, Katie Seley, 32, who was holding Conrad when they were swept underneath a guardrail as they abandoned their car and attempted to get to higher ground. Her mother, Dahlia Galindez, 62, was holding Mattie when they were also swept away.

Galindez survived and Seley's fiance, Jim Sheils, and the couple's oldest child Jack, 4, also survived after firefighters were able to rescue them.

Also killed in the floods were Enzo and Linda DePiero, ages 78 and 74, of Newtown Township, Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown Township and Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, New Jersey. Their bodies, and Seley, were recovered within two days after the floods.

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The search effort for the children, which officials called unprecedented, has included drones, air, ground and water resources including sonar, divers and dogs. Equipment and hundreds of first-responder personnel were recruited from Central New Jersey and as far south as Delaware and Chester counties to aid the search. 

After Mattie was found Philadelphia Police Marine Unit and the United States Coast Guard began round-the-clock searches for Conrad in the Delaware River south of the Betsy Ross Bridge.

"Like all of you, we are truly heartbroken and saddened," Upper Makefield police wrote. "Although, at this time, we were unable to reunite Conrad with his loving family, he will forever live in our hearts and he will never be forgotten," the department wrote.

Officials on Monday identified one of the victims in the flooding and the names of the two children still missing. Matilda Sheils, 2, and Conrad Sheils, 9 months, were swept out of their family’s hands during a flash flood in Upper Makefield Saturday evening. Their grandmother, who was holding one of the children, was later rescued. The children’s mother, Kate Seley, 32, died in the flooding. The children’s father, Jim and the couple’s older child both were rescued.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Upper Makefield suspends search for baby lost in Delaware River flood

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