What started late in the evening of June 12 was still ongoing June 16 as multiple agencies continued to search for 10-year-old Trinity Eslinger, who went missing in the water between O’Steen Beach and Norriego Point in Destin.
“We have continued our search efforts,” Lt. Brian Parkton with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said the afternoon of June 16 during a news conference at the Destin Substation.
Since June 13, other teams such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a search and rescue team from Daphne, Alabama, have come onboard to assist in the search for the missing girl.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has provided fixed-wing aircraft and drones to aid in the search, Parkton said.
Parkton said their biggest challenge has been “dealing with Mother Nature and the elements.”
Search expanded
“We have since expanded it,” Parkton said.
“We’ve searched areas that we felt pretty positive she may have been. Unfortunately, we didn’t succeed in what we were hoping for,” he said, noting that every day they expand it a little bit further.
The fixed-wing aircraft is allowing them to widen their search.
The OCSO is searching everywhere from the beach to several hundred yards out, Parkton said, whereas the fixed-wing allows searchers to cover out to 2 miles.
Early on, OCSO put out an Aqua Alert for the young girl to let people on the water know what was going on.
“The more eyes on the water … if you see anything report it to the sheriff’s office,” Parkton said.
Hope abounds
Although it’s been more than four days since Trinity went missing, Parkton said they are still hopeful.
“We always have hope … it’s a recovery at this point, but we are doing everything we can to bring closure to the family,” Parkton said.
Current issues
The current in Destin Pass is a constant, Parkton said.
“Historically, current in the Destin Pass is something we’ve always dealt with. I think it humbles a lot of people … they don’t realize how strong it can be,” he said.
Parkton said to be “mindful of currents, no matter where you swim. If you can’t swim, wear a life jacket … take some sort of precaution to protect yourself or your children,” he said.
“The currents comingled with water depth is something that has always been an issue …whether it’s Crab Island or other areas in the pass. It’s one thing when you have current and you can touch, but it’s another thing when you step off a little too far and you’re in deeper water and you can’t touch, then the current plays a major factor,” he said.
“At this point we’re just trying to find her. We’re doing everything we can to find her and bring closure to the family,” Parkton said.
How long the search will continue is unknown at this time.
“We will continue to do everything we can,” Parkton said.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: ‘We always have hope’: Search for 10-year-old girl near Destin pass widens
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
