YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Update, 4:10 p.m.: The York County Coroner's Office has identified the 10-year-old boy whose body was recovered from the Yellow Breeches Creek Wednesday, five days after he disappeared into the water while kayaking.
The body of Matthew Coffroth Jr., a resident of Lancaster County, was found in the creek by search crews at about 7:44 a.m. Wednesday, according to York County Coroner Pamela Gay. He was found about a mile downstream from where he disappeared Saturday afternoon after falling from his kayak, Gay said.
Gay's office determined Coffroth died of drowning and ruled his manner of death accidental.
Previously
After five days of searching, authorities have recovered the body of a missing 10-year-old kayaker in the Yellow Breeches Creek.
The York County Coroner responded to the area, which straddles the York and Cumberland County lines, around 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 14 as crews removed the body from the water.
“This provided a resolution for our responders, this provided a resolution for the family and we were able to turn the body over to the family, for them to continue to grieve and we grieve with them," said Brandon Freistat, emergency management coordinator for Fairview Township.
On Aug. 10 around 5:00 p.m., search and rescue teams were dispatched to this area of the Yellow Breeches Creek.
The young boy had been kayaking on the water with a group of three adults and three other children, when he was separated from his kayak, swept under the water, and did not resurface.
According to authorities, the group was a mix of friends and family. The boy has not been identified, but his family is from Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
On Monday, the search centered around a small dam and included emergency personnel searching in the water and underneath fallen trees from Saturday's storm. It was declared a recovery mission by first responders around lunchtime on Monday.
Bystanders and media were cleared from near the scene around 7:30 on Monday night, as a mobile command unit was brought in. Recovery operations finished for the night at 10 p.m. They searched all day on Tuesday as well.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, officials confirmed that the boy's body had been recovered from a pile of debris in the water, approximately one mile from where the group had entered the creek on Saturday.
“The toll it takes on someone who spends this much time in the water in the summer, under the stress of current of the water wearing heavy equipment, knowing what they’re likely looking for and could potentially find, that’s something that’s not taken lightly," said Mike Parker, communications director for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
According to Parker, the group had previous kayaking experience, including the 10-year-old victim. However, he said that does not always matter in water conditions like those on Saturday, which were left behind after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept through the area on Friday.
“It continues to be high, running fast and muddy, low visibility, lots of debris running down through the water," Parker explained.
The Fish and Boat Commission is now investigating the boy's death.
“There were some life jackets present in the group however we don’t know the circumstances of who was wearing them and who wasn’t," Parker said.
Investigators later determined that the boy was not wearing a life jacket.
Authorities say the family was at the creek on Wednesday, as the boy's body was recovered. They expressed gratitude to the first responders who helped bring the search to a close.
According to Parker, there is no standard timeline for how long the Fish and Boat Commission's investigation could take. Waterway conservation officers are in the process of interviewing family and potential witnesses.