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Mar 20, 2008 7:23 pm US/Central
Body Of Drowning Victim ID'd As Mesquite Teen
MESQUITE (CBS 11 News) ―
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Shaun Hebert, 14, was swept away by floodwaters in Mesquite on Tuesday.
KTVT / KTXA
For two days, rescue crews in Mesquite searched for the body of a 14-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters caused by Tuesday's severe storms.
Rescuers found a body Thursday afternoon, and by Thursday evening, the Dallas Medical examiner confirmed it was Shaun Hebert, the missing teen.
Crews had been looking for Hebert in the area of Interstate 635 and Burton Road. The body was discovered in a stream bed near McWhorter Park by the Garland Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team, while wading in hip deep water.
"The victim was found in water that was approximately waist deep, and was being kept down under the water by the roots of a tree, making the discovery of that victim very difficult," rescue worker David Martin told television crews Thursday.
Hebert and his friend Joel Wilson, 15, were trying to take a short cut home when Hebert slipped into a Mesquite creek. Severe storms had pounded the area with rain and raised the creek level several feet.
Wilson said he attempted to pull Hebert back to shore with an umbrella, but the teen was swept away by high water. Wilson was able to swim to safety.
"He was into the water up to his waist," Leah Peters told CBS 11 News on Tuesday. She saw the teens walking into the creek and called 911 out of concern for their safety.
Later that night emergency crews performed a risky search inside a drainage tunnel, but found nothing. Thursday, Mesquite police issued a plea asking for volunteers to help look for Hebert. Officials were asking for volunteers in, "good physical condition and able to help search fields and heavily wooded areas."
Rescuers from several departments including the Mesquite Fire and Police Departments, Dallas Fire Department, and Dallas Urban Search and Rescue aided in the search.
A candlelight vigil was held for the teen on Friday night.
CBS 11 News spoke with Hebert's father. He thanked everyone for their love and support, but gave a special thanks to rescue workers who came from all over the area. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mesquite Fire and Police Department," he said, "as well as the other rescue workers and city workers that was out here searching for my son. And thank them for the recovery. It really brought peace to our household."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Affidavit: Dad Threw Baby Into Lake
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