A 7-year-old boy who went missing at a conservation area near Hamilton, Ontario, has been found dead, a tragic end to a large search that had drawn crews on land, on the water and in the air. Police said the boy was located deceased on Thursday, a day after he disappeared, but gave no further details about where he was found or the circumstances that led to his death.
The boy was identified by Hamilton police as Nathanael Selambi. He was last seen on Wednesday afternoon, around 3 p.m., at the Binbrook Conservation Area, on the beach near a floating inflatable playground where families had gathered.
The park was extremely busy at the time. Police said Nathanael and his family were among roughly 1,000 people who had filled the conservation area that day, and they suggested the size and congestion of the crowd could have contributed to the boy going missing.
The response has been extensive. Police said both ground and marine units, along with a provincial police helicopter, have been searching the area. Crews had to suspend the search overnight because of darkness and resumed the following day, with the summer heat making the work harder across the sprawling site.
In the early hours of the search, investigators kept their options open about what had happened. While it was not clear whether the boy had been in the water, police said at the time that they were not ruling out other possibilities, and they checked vehicles as they cleared the busy park after he was reported missing.
To aid the search, police shared a description of the boy. Nathanael is described as having a skinny build and standing about four feet tall, and he was last seen wearing a white tank top with Thomas the Tank Engine characters on it, green shorts and green swimming goggles. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Hamilton police or to report anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
The day brought a second tragedy to the same area. While officers were searching for Nathanael, police said they also had to pull a man from the water after his kayak capsized, and that he later died following what was described as a medical episode.
In announcing the tragic outcome, police said their thoughts were with Nathanael's family, his loved ones and everyone affected by the loss, and they thanked the public, community partners and emergency responders for their assistance and support throughout the search. Amid the ongoing heat that has kept drawing people to the water, authorities again urged the public to take care near lakes and beaches.