The baby’s body, which was recovered from the Delaware River, belongs to two-year-old Matilda Sheils, who went missing during flooding in Pennsylvania last weekend. The girl’s family confirmed the news. The search for her nine-month-old brother, Conrad, is underway. The mother of the children also died in the flood. The oldest, four years old, and their grandmother and father survived.
Upper Makefield, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania (USA) police said at a press conference on Friday evening local time that they believe the body of a child that was recovered from the Delaware River in Port Richmond on Friday evening belongs to two-year-old Matilda (Mattie) Sheils, who went missing in flooding in Bucks County last weekend.
The family confirmed the news. “We are grateful that our little Mattie has returned home,” the statement said.
How did the tragedy happen
Matilda Sheils and her nine-month-old brother, Conrad, were driving with the rest of the family to a barbecue at a relative’s house when the car they were carrying plunged into the rushing water. Around 150 to 180 liters of rain per square meter fell in the area at that time.
Fleeing the flood, the father took his eldest son, four years old, while the mother and grandmother grabbed Conrad and Mattie, firefighters reported. The father, grandmother and four-year-old managed to avoid the tragedy. The mother, 32-year-old Katheryn Seley, died. The fate of the two younger children was unknown.
Matilda’s body was recovered from the water on Friday near a pier on the Delaware River near the Betsy Ross Bridge, about 30 miles from where she went missing. The police assured that the search for Conrad would continue.
Main photo source: ENEX