Recovery efforts for a 6-year-old girl who was swept away in Chester Creek over the weekend were ceased on Tuesday after officials were unable to find the child.
On Tuesday, officials told NBC10 that they had exhausted all resources after a day of searching, only to come up empty handed.
According to officials in Delaware County, teams searched throughout the day and divers were in the water on Tuesday, but they did not detect anything.
Teams have been searching the Chester Creek in Chester, since Saturday after 6-year-old Li’najah Brooker fell into the Chester Creek near 8th and James streets.
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Emergency personnel from local, county, state and federal agencies searched for the girl Saturday night and all day on Sunday but were unable to find her.
In providing an update on the search on Sunday, Chester Mayor Stefan Roots said it was an "extremely sad day" as officials turned the search from a rescue to a recovery effort.
"Having exhausted all available resources to locate Lin’ajah over the past three-and-a-half days,
we are now ceasing search operations," officials said Tuesday afternoon.
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On Monday, the Chester Bureau of Fire as well as Pennsylvania State Police searched Chester Creek using a towed side-scan sonar device.
The device provided images of parts of the creek bank that are underwater as well as the creek bed. Multiple scans of the entire creek – from above the entry point to the Delaware River – were performed.
Nothing was found, however, after the scans were completed and the images were reviewed.
The search was resumed on Tuesday morning, but by about 3 p.m., it was officially ended.
Officials said the girl's family has been notified.
"It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge this outcome. Our hearts ache for the family as they navigate through unimaginable grief. To the family, please know that the entire community stands with you during this incredibly difficult time," Mayor Roots said in a news release Tuesday.
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