NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday for three missing children near the Crescent City Connection Bridge in New Orleans.
A 15-year-old male, 14-year-old female and 8-year-old female were last seen entering the water Saturday evening just before sunset.
Capt. Kelly Denning, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans commander, said in a statement, “The decision to suspend any search and rescue case is never easy but considering the extensive search efforts of our Coast Guard men and women, in conjunction with other response agencies, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend our active search for the three children."
Rescue crews, including New Orleans police and fire departments, searched more than 93 miles along the Mississippi River with a combined 55 total hours.
The families of the children vowed to continue searching— even if that meant only finding their bodies.
"I need my kids," Octavia Wilson, mother of the two girls, said, according to WDSU. "I need them. I need them more than anything. They're my reason for living. I need my children. I need them."
It's unclear why the children were in the river.
