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7-year-old Lucas Rosales went missing on April 29, 2023, near Eastwood MetroPark, where he went on a fishing trip with his family. Authorities organized extensive search-and-rescue parties to look for the young kid. Unfortunately, around two weeks after the disappearance, a body was found in the water near Downtown Dayton on Saturday.
Shortly after the body was retrieved, the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed that it belonged to a juvenile male. However, police haven’t yet confirmed that the body belonged to Lucas Rosales. Rosales was last seen at around 6:48 pm on Saturday, April 29, before he disappeared.
Lucas has been described as being 3 feet tall and weighing around 60 pounds. He also has brown eyes and brown hair. According to a family member, during the fishing trip, they heard a splash in the water and someone cry after that. They then called for Lucas for some time, before reporting him missing to the cops.
When Lucas Rosales disappeared, he was wearing a pair of black pants, a white shirt with black sleeves, and black Converse shoes.
The search for Lucas Rosales had to be put on hold due to heavy rainfall
A fun fishing trip turned tragic for a family on April 29, when 7-year-old Lucas Rosales disappeared. The family was near Eastwood MetroPark when the incident took place.
Speaking about her son's disappearance, Amanda Rosales, Lucas’ mother said:
“I wake up and I just think of Lucas and just when I go back to sleep, I just tell him, ‘Mama’s coming.’ Then, I can’t find him and then it’s like, why can’t I find him? When we find him, I’m going to wrap him up if he’s cold and I’m going to hold him.”
Several search-and-rescue parties have been looking for the missing child, both in water and on land near the Eastwood MetroPark. Amanda has also expressed her gratitude for everybody assisting in the search for little Lucas Rosales. Authorities have looked over 400 acres of land and water, but are yet to locate Lucas.
Several organizations and departments including the City of Dayton’s Department of Water have offered assistance in looking for the missing child. Water-based K-9 units have also been deployed to look for Lucas Rosales. Due to the increased water levels due to rainfall in the Mad River, the search for Lucas has been put on a halt.
The Dayton Police Department said that they have not found any evidence of foul play, adding:
“The decreasing water levels will provide the opportunity for the City of Dayton Water Department to create a temporary dam on a portion of the Mad River to facilitate additional search.”
However, news of a dead body being discovered near Downtown Dayton came on Saturday, May 13, 2023.
According to Lieutenant Jeffrey Thomas of Dayton Police, at around 5.35 pm, the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch received the report of the body in the water in the area of W. Riverview Avenue and Monument Avenue. He further stated:
“Upon arrival, crews did locate a body in the water and the body was retrieved. That body was a juvenile male and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office arrived on the scene.”
What police have revealed about the dead body so far
Lieutenant Thomas said that the body was found around five miles away from the Eastwood MetroPark, where Lucas Rosales was last seen. He continued:
“We can not confirm that it is Lucas. The Rosales family has been notified because of the extenuating circumstances with the length of his disappearance.”
It was revealed that the body found belonged to a juvenile male whose age is between six and nine years old. Lt. Thomas explained how difficult it is for authorities to deal with such cases, especially when they involve children. He said:
“From the moment that we received the phone to today, we have tirelessly worked to try to find Lucas. We still continue that effort today. Now to this scene, retrieving a child from the river is a very difficult situation.”
Brandon O’Neal was present in the area, fishing with his family on Saturday, when he noticed all the commotion and saw that a huge police force was present in the area. He spoke to news outlets, and said:
“I look up and I see everybody looking inside the river over here. So, the next thing I see is the police officer, he stops, he looks. He actually jumps in and then he looks away and I believe he saw the child down there.”
Another individual named Elaine Smith also witnessed the event and said:
“I just seen a bunch of ambulances and then I seen a body or something stuck in that little ravine right there where they’re at and then they came and pulled it out.”
Images of the crew and officers going in the water to pull the body out have been circulated everywhere. It is not yet clear when police will reveal the deceased boy’s identity.
