Body of lost child recovered in Philadelphia river, search continues for missing infant

A body that was recovered in the Delaware River in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood on Friday evening has been confirmed to have been one of the two young children who went missing during the deadly Bucks County flood last weekend, according to police. 

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the child found yesterday was Mattie, the Upper Makefield Police Department said in a statement.

"[W]e are grateful that prayers were answered and that we were able to bring Mattie home," the statement read.

In that same statement, the Sheils family expressed gratitude that Mattie had been recovered.

"We are grateful that our little Mattie has been brought home to us. We are still praying for the return of Conrad. Thank you all, again, for your compassion and your kindness. We are humbled," the family wrote in the statement shared by the township.

Officials said that they found the child's remains after they received a 9-1-1 call at about 5:04 p.m., from an anonymous caller who said that they believed there was a body in the river.

Police said the information from that call was limited and the location wasn't exact.

Just two minutes later, officials said they received a second call about a body in the water, this one with a physical description of a child in the area of the Philadelphia Wastewater Disposal Plant on the 3900 block of N. Delaware Avenue, south of the Betsy Ross Bridge.

Police arrived at the scene and recovered the body of a young girl from the water, officials said.

Medics pronounced the girl dead at 5:30 p.m., police said.

The child's body was then transported to the medical examiner's office.

During a Friday night press conference, Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said that based on the child’s physical description and clothing, she was believed to be the missing Sheils child.

Officials did not note any findings from the coroner's office, which planned an autopsy on Saturday morning, however, the township said the search will continue for Conrad Sheils, who has yet to be located.

Matilda Sheils and her 9-month-old brother Conrad Sheils went missing Saturday, July 15, during the Bucks County flooding that already claimed five lives, including their mother Katheryn “Katie” Seley.

Seley, Matilda and Conrad, along with Seley’s husband, mother and 4-year-old son – all from Charleston, South Carolina – were visiting friends and family in Bucks County when they got caught in flash flooding on Saturday, July 15. 

The family was traveling along Route 532 in Upper Makefield Township around 5:30 p.m. to attend a barbecue when a torrential downpour caused flooding in the area and disabled their vehicle.

Seley’s husband managed to get their 4-year-old son out of the vehicle and they escaped the floodwaters.

At the same time, Seley and her mother tried to rescue Conrad and Matilda. The two women and two young children were all swept away by floodwaters. 

Seley's body was recovered over the weekend while the children’s grandmother was found alive and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Conrad and Matilda remained missing for several days prior to Friday’s announcement.

Philadelphia aviation units and marine units are searching the Delaware River for 9-month-old Conrad within their jurisdictions, Brewer said. The search efforts will continue with K9 units and divers as water conditions permit.

“We will work tirelessly to make sure 9-month-old Conrad is found,” Brewer said.

Search operations along the Delaware River in Bucks County have concluded for Saturday.  Philadelphia Police Marine Unit and the United States Coast Guard are continuing to search the Delaware River south of the Betsy Ross Bridge, Upper Makefield police said in an update provided Saturday evening.

"We so desperately want to bring Conrad home and are praying that we can find him," the statement said. "Please keep all the families in your thoughts and prayers and we hope everyone can join us tomorrow evening at the Garden of Reflection to remember all those who perished in the deadly flash flood."

The memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. at the 9-11 Memorial Garden of Reflection.

Scott Ellis, the uncle of the missing children, spoke on behalf of the family during a press conference on Monday.

"First, our family would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the enormous efforts of so many emergency personnel who have been working tirelessly in dangerous and difficult conditions to rescue the victims of this horrific tragedy," he said. "Their compassion, kindness, and bravery have given us strength in this unspeakably difficult time. And their commitment to bringing Conrad and Mattie home is unwavering. We are thankful that they were able to save so many affected by these unprecedented floods."

Updates will continue via social media and further press conferences will be held as information becomes available.

In addition to Seley, the other victims of the Bucks County flood include Enzo De Piero, 78, and Linda De Piero, 74, a married couple from Newtown Township; Yuko Love, a 64-year-old woman from Newtown Township; and Susan Barnhart, a 53-year-old woman from Titusville, New Jersey.

On Monday, July 17, Bucks County coroner Meredith Buck revealed all five victims died from drowning while Love also died from multiple injuries. The deaths of all five victims were ruled accidental.

You can learn more about the victims as well as read a detailed timeline of the deadly flood here.

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