Friday, September 08, 2006

Sad News

The news we had all thought, but didn't want to hear, came today. The two boys missing since Tuesday were found dead in the Dan River. It was the news I'd feared since first arriving on the scene that day. After officials told us that 3 different tracking dogs at 3 different times tracked the boys scent to the river's edge I knew we'd be hearing this news. I knew we'd be hearing it today. Unfortunately, I've been on these kinds of searches before. I'd covered more than a few drownings in Kentucky at my first television station. And I always remember what one rescue worker told me. "It takes 3 days before the body will resurface." A grim reality that most likely took place today. A grim reality that I had hoped we wouldn't be faced with. A grim reality that the parents, family and friends now have to deal with. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Missing



No, not me. But there are two little boys from Stokes County here in North Carolina who've been missing since Tuesday around lunchtime. 3 and 4 year old Jacob and J.W. White left their Danbury home about 11am and haven't been seen since. Brent and I have been in Stokes County turning packages and live shots for noon, five, five-thirty and six o'clock shows since first receiving the news that day.


Here I am yesterday on the Kernersville Rescue Team's boat stuck on some rocks but still shooting video for the story. That was the second time our boat was stuck and we eventually made our way back down the Dan River and I got off just downstream to my awaiting buddy Brent. After over an hour and making it just a quarter of a mile down stream I quickly saw the challenges many searchers were facing. The river on the day the two went missing was about 4 times higher than normal. It's now back down and this poses new challenges for any boat trying to navigate the small river.


This is our 5 O'clock package from today which shows some of the different methods being used to find them. There are plenty of other stories and interviews on the website to keep you up to date on the search. Let's all pray this story somehow has a happy ending. But as the minutes turn to hours and the hours turn to days, it's not looking good for the two little boys who left the house wearing only shorts and a t-shirt.