This has been in the news here in Colorado:
Searchers Look For Missing Weld County Boy
Quote:
KERSEY, Colo. -- Searchers in Weld County are looking for a missing 4-year-old boy who was last seen Friday night riding an all-terrain vehicle about 5 miles from Kersey.
Divers, searching the nearby Platte River, said they found a fender from the ATV and a shoe from the missing boy. Four dive teams are probing the river for more clues.
About 150 people are involved in the search, which is being conducted in the river and on the ground.
The boy was reported missing at about 8 p.m. Friday while riding around the dairy farm where he lives along Weld County Road 388.
Volunteers began looking for the boy immediately and searched through the night.
The dive teams are concentrating on the river.
The boy was not identified.
|
Body Of Missing 4-Year-Old Found
Quote:
The body of missing 4-year-old Weld County boy was found by searchers in the South Platte River Sunday evening.
Sam Cockcroft's body was located at 5:30 p.m. near a river bank, trapped by a cottonwood tree branch hanging over the water.
More than 300 people helped with the search Sunday. Authorities also called for water diversions to make the river shallower after heavy rains, Martinez said.
There had been no sign of Cockroft since Saturday morning, when searchers found one of his boots and pieces of his ATV in the river, she said.
Cockroft had been taught how to float on his ATV in the water, Platte Valley Fire Protection District Capt. Barry Schaefer said. Martinez has said it is not unusual for such young children to drive ATVs in a rural, agricultural community.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, authorities said.
|
I've got problems with this incident on a lot of levels, most specifically the quote "Martinez has said it is not unusual for such young children to drive ATVs in a rural, agricultural community.". At the age of 4, my daughters had a hard time controlling a big wheel, let alone a ATV with a gasoline engine. The fact that a 4 year old is anywhere unsupervised seems insane to me, as well. This has been on the news out here and the attitude has been that this is how things are in rural areas. I've lived in the sticks all of my life and it just seems really wrong to me.
Opinions?