NEW ORLEANS — Family members say the body discovered in the Mississippi River near near Crescent Park on Monday morning has been identified as 15-year-old Kevin Poole.
Poole and two other girls have been missing since they were all swept away into the Mississippi River last month. Authorities have been searching for the missing children since April 23.
A spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department confirmed that the body was found around 8:30 a.m. on Monday. Around 11:15 a.m., the NOPD along with the Harbor Police Department recovered the body.
Poole's mother tells WWL-TV that the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office informed her that the body was her son.
Search for Missing Children
Kevin Poole, 15, Brandy Wilson, 14 and Ally Wilson, 8, were reported missing after they were swept into the Mississippi River on Saturday, April 23.
Family members say Poole and the two sisters took their 5-year-old brother to a park near the Crescent City Connection Bridge. At the park, Brandy slipped on a piling near the water's edge and fell into the river around 5 p.m.
Poole and Ally went into the water to rescue the girl, but all three children were pulled down by the current and have not been seen since. The younger brother then ran home to get help.
The girls' father said that Saturday was the first time that the girls were allowed to leave the home on their own. He said that the girls were allowed to go with Poole because their mother, who suffers from a heart condition, had to go to the hospital.
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for the children after searching 93 miles of the river. Some local law enforcement agencies like the New Orleans Police Department and private dive businesses have continued to search for the missing children.
This is a developing story. Stay with WWL-TV for updates as new information becomes available.
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