Importance Score: 55 / 100 🔵
Investigators suspect they have retrieved the remains of three young females who vanished following a fishing expedition last month on the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska.
Incident Overview
Lah Tray Moo, 18, Laiana Green, 18, and Eh Cress Moo, 11, were last observed on the river and were reported absent on April 15, according to a local NBC News affiliate. The media outlet disclosed that they were accompanied by a 13-year-old relative who emerged unhurt.
Emergency services indicated that one of the young girls plummeted into the river, prompting the others to enter the water in a bid to save her.
Initial Recovery
Officials located Lah Tray Moo’s remains on Saturday at NP Dodge Park, reported the Fargo River Rescue Unit. A police representative affirmed to NBC News that the body had been conclusively identified.
Coby Werner, a battalion chief, communicated to the affiliate at the time, stating that this discovery could assist search teams in locating the remaining girls.
Search Operations
“The evidence implies that the girls might still be in this vicinity,” Werner remarked. “However, given the river’s flow, one cannot be certain. We will persist, concentrating our efforts in this area tomorrow, while also continuing to survey downstream just in case.”
Subsequent Recoveries
On Wednesday, the Omaha Fire Department affirmed via a Facebook update that two additional bodies were retrieved from the river on the preceding Tuesday evening.
Eh Cress Moo, one of the missing girls, would have marked her 12th birthday on April 22.
Authorities communicated that autopsies were ongoing to authenticate the identities of the retrieved remains, which are presumed to be the other two girls who disappeared.
Community Reaction
“We convey our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of these girls,” the fire department conveyed on Facebook. “The passing of these young lives has impacted our entire community, and our thoughts remain with you now and in the forthcoming days.”
A GoFundMe campaign established to aid the Moo family with burial expenditures implored for prayers and backing as they cope with the “gut-wrenching tragedy.”
“This is a horrific ordeal for our family as we navigate this catastrophe,” the campaign stated. “We are indebted to everyone who has supported us during this trying time.”