DUNBAR, W.Va. (AP) — Rescue crews recovered the body of a 6-year-old boy from a West Virginia river, capping a two-day search that began when he was seen going under water with his aunt, authorities said.
The boy was identified as Deonco Howard of Dunbar, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said. His body was found Sunday near where he had disappeared in the Kanawha River.
His aunt’s body was recovered Saturday. She was identified as Michelle Godsey, 31, after authorities learned that the initial name used for her was an alias, the sheriff’s office said.
They were fishing at a boat ramp early Saturday when the boy went to turn off an SUV’s headlights. The vehicle rolled down the boat ramp with the child inside, the sheriff’s office said. The vehicle struck Godsey and went into the river. She rescued her nephew from the vehicle, but both were seen by witnesses going under water, the sheriff’s office said.
The vehicle also was recovered from the river.
Several law enforcement agencies participated in the search.