Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Jan. 20, 2007

Contact:  Lt. Cdr. Cheri' Ben-Iesau
(504) 810-3887

COAST GUARD RECOVERS REMAINS OF TODDLER BELIEVED TO BE LAST OF FOUR CHILDREN ALLEGEDLY THROWN FROM THE DAUPHIN ISLAND BRIDGE

VENICE, La.-  The Coast Guard, following tips from the local boating communtiy, recovered the body of a toddler approximately 5 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi River today.  

After recieveing a tip from the fishing vessel Crystal Lynn just before 10:00 a.m., a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Venice, La., along with a Falcon Jet crew from ATC Mobile, Ala., and a helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air station New Orleans, were launched to aid in the search.  A follow-on tip from a good samaritan enabled the Coast Guard to locate and recover the body of the toddler, which was turned over to the Plaquemines Parish Coroner.

Members of the Mobile County Sheriff's department are en route to Venice to help determine if the body is that of one of 4 children allegedly thrown from the bridge in Dauphin Island, Ala., by their father on Monday, Jan. 7th.  

Coast Guard crews had been assisting nearly a dozen local and state law enforcement authorities in the search for the children, who ranged in age from 4 months to 3 years. The search began Jan. 8, when Sector Mobile received a call from the Bayou LaBatre Police Department requesting search and rescue assistance and responded immediately with a jet crew from ATC Mobile, a rescue helicopter from Air Station New Orleans and a small boat from Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island.  Coast Guard crews searched nearly 250 square miles over three days before finally suyspending their active search near Dauphin Island.