Nearly three weeks after disappearing beneath the Cuyahoga River, the search for the body of Patrick Cross continues, with no end date in sight for any recovery operations, Carrie Snyder, director of communications for Cuyahoga Falls, said.
“The Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department will continue to conduct search operations targeted at areas with potential for a successful recovery,” Snyder said. “The number of these areas has decreased significantly over the past two weeks.”
The frequency of the search operations will be based on river conditions and resource availability, Snyder said.
The Falls Fire Department, along with more 100 volunteers organized by the Cross family, searched miles of shoreline July 7 in a joint operation, hoping to take advantage of improved water conditions, Snyder said.
While the water flow rate was nearly 2,500 cubic feet per second on June 21, the day Patrick and his son Braxton Cross disappeared, it is currently under 300 cubic feet per second, Snyder said.
Despite the combined efforts of the fire department and volunteers, along with the improved water conditions, recovery has been unsuccessful so far.
“[Falls Fire], Metro Parks, and all of our other partners remain dedicated to these operations and the Cross family,” Snyder said.
What happened on June 21 in the Cuyahoga River?
The Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department responded to multiple reports of a man and child in the Cuyahoga River after their inflatable capsized near the Portage Trail Bridge.
First responders found a woman and child near the shore, Falls Police Chief Chris Martin said during a press conference. The woman said Patrick and Braxton Cross were last seen floating near Broad Boulevard by the Sheraton Suites.
The family was tubing on three tubes that were connected when the incident happened. The family said the water was calm for a long time, but once they got near a bridge, the water got very rough and they flipped over.
Braxton’s body was recovered by search crews on the morning of June 22, a day after the incident.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Falls Fire and volunteers continue search for Patrick Cross, who went missing June 21
Reporting by Anthony Thompson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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