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A5
U.S. NEWS Monday 2 deceMber 2019

Rescuers search for girl, 6, missing after truck swept away

TONTO BASIN, Ariz. (AP) —
Nine members of an Arizo-
na family, together for the
Thanksgiving holiday, were
in an oversized military-style
truck when they got stuck
in a raging creek swollen
by intense runoff from a
powerful storm.
Four children and two
adults got out and were
rescued by helicopter, but
three children stayed in the
truck and it was later swept
away.
Rescuers with helicop-
ters, drones, boats, dogs
and an army of volunteers
searched frantically Sun-
day for a 6-year-old girl
missing since Friday.
Her brother and cousin,
both 5, were found dead
on Saturday.
"We want to bring her
home safely to her family,"
said Lt. Virgil Dodd of the
Gila County Sheriff's Office.
"She needs to come home
today, and we're going to
do that today."
More than 100 volunteers This Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, photo shows the road closed near Bar X road and Tonto Creek after a vehicle was washed by flood
gathered near Tonto Basin, waters in Tonto Basin, Ariz.
a small community north- Associated Press
east of Phoenix, early Sun-
day to help search for the Lacey Rawlings, both es- includes the Tonto Basin Adverse conditions includ- ... volunteers for football ...
missing girl, Willa Rawlings, caped from the truck but area at 8:53 a.m. Friday ed heavy brush and slip- whatever it took, they've
The Arizona Republic re- their son, Colby Rawlings, based on data from an up- pery mud along the creek been in the middle of it."
ported. and niece, Austin Rawlings, stream flooding gauge. and frigid water from snow- Merrill came with a group
"I cannot thank you were not in the vehicle Meteorologist Sean Bene- melt, but officials said they from the Church of Jesus
enough," the girl's uncle, when it was pulled from the dict in Phoenix estimated remained hopeful. Christ of Latter-day Saints
Nathan Sherwood, told creek the next day. that up to 2 inches (5 cen- Volunteers trudged in small in Pinetop, about 130 miles
the crowd of people ready Their bodies were found timeters) of rain fell in the groups through the muddy (210 kilometers) east of the
to help, according to the about 600 to 1,000 yards area, with some of the run- brush to search for the miss- search area.
newspaper. (meters) from the failed off coming from snow that ing girl, who was last seen "The whole community's ral-
"This is about the only light crossing. fell on nearby peaks. wearing jeans and a purple lied around them to show
in this dark situation." The creek crossing was The region got up to 4 jacket. their love and support dur-
Volunteers trudged in small marked as closed with bar- inches (10 centimeters) of "The Rawlings family are a ing this tragedy," he said.
groups through the muddy ricades and signs, authori- rain about a week before, fixture," said David Merrill, Dodd, of the sheriff's office,
brush, toward the creek, to ties said. Benedict said. one of the volunteers, told confirmed Sunday that
search for the missing girl, A National Weather Ser- "So the grounds were al- The Republic. the number of people res-
who was last seen wearing vice meteorologist said ready pretty wet and that "They're the salt of the earth cued Friday night was six
jeans and a purple jacket. the agency issued a flood probably helped with the and they have done so after conflicting reports on
Willa's parents, Daniel and warning for the region that runoff." much. Little League, school Saturday.q