The Latest: July 19, 9 a.m.
Officials in Bucks County on Tuesday said the search for 2-year-old Matilda Sheils and her brother, 9-month-old Conrad Shiels, both missing since deadly floods swept through the Washington Crossing area on Saturday, has been unsuccessful. Recovery teams have searched the entire flood zone, and they plan to minimize aspects of the ground search and focus on the underwater mission. Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said the search will remain active until both kids are found. However, rain on Wednesday has stalled their dive operation.
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UPPER MAKEFIELD TWP., Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Bucks County officials said Monday that the search for 2-year-old Matilda “Mattie” Sheils and her 9-month-old brother, Conrad Sheils, has been unsuccessful and will resume on Tuesday. The two have been missing since deadly flash floods on Saturday swept them away from their family.
The Upper Makefield Township Police Department on Monday, with the permission of the family, released images of the children, their mother, and their father, Jim Sheils.
The family, from Charleston, South Carolina, was on their way to a barbecue to visit with family and friends when their car got stuck on Washington Crossing Road in the rapidly rising water, Brewer said on Sunday.
“As they tried to escape the fierce floodwaters, dad took his 4-year-old son, while the mother and the grandmother grabbed the two additional children,” Brewer said.
“Miraculously, dad and his son were able to get to safety. However, the grandmother, the mother and the two children were swept away by the floodwaters.”
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Their mother, Katie Seley, 32, is one of five people confirmed dead. Her body was recovered on Saturday. The children's grandmother survived and was treated for her injuries at a hospital.
The Bucks County coroner, Meredith Buck, on Monday identified the four other deceased. All five victims drowned, she said.
Besides Seley, the bodies of two more victims were recovered on Saturday:
—Enzo Depiero, 78, of Newtown Township
—Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, N.J.
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And two more deaths were confirmed on Sunday:
—Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown Township
—Linda Depiero, 74, of Newtown Township
“Because the deaths were all weather related, the manner of death for all five victims is determined to be accidental,” Buck said.
'The wall of water came to them'
Brewer emphasized Monday that none of the victims drove into the flooded roadway. "Every one of these people were caught," he said. "The wall of water came to them."
That area of Bucks County along the Delaware River got about 6 ½ to 7 inches of rain in 45 minutes, Brewer said. Heavy and intense rain swelled creeks far beyond their banks.
“In my 44 years, I've never seen anything like it,” Brewer said. “When the water came up, it came up very swiftly.”
Officials say 11 cars on Washington Crossing Road were trapped in a torrent of floodwater 4 to 5 feet deep. The fast-moving water sent three cars into the creek. When they were located, no one was found inside. One of the cars was about 1 ½ miles away from where it had entered the creek.
Eight survivors were rescued from their cars, and two more were rescued from the creek, Brewer said.
A small army of first responders
Brewer says everyone involved in the search is steadfast in their commitment to bring the two babies home.
“We have search teams that are assisting us from Delaware, Chester, parts of Bucks County, New Jersey,” he said Monday. There are search teams on foot and in boats, and teams of divers. They have deployed canine units, airborne drones and sonar technology.
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“We have deployed a massive amount of resources and teams. We have basically tripled the number of assets in the area, mostly because of the weather conditions,” he said.
Weather conditions on Sunday limited their ability to search, but they were able to do more on Monday, Brewer said.
On Tuesday, officials say, even more help will be brought in from other areas of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
"We ask that you continue to pray for the return of Conrad and Maddie, and for the safety of all those committed to bringing them to us," said Scott Ellis, a representative member of the family, speaking to reporters on Monday.
Road closures
In the meantime, some roads in the area will be in bad shape for a while.
Mike Tokar, who was riding his bike along a heavily damaged section of Route 532, said it’s crazy how high the water got.
“Just judging by that tree over there, I’d say 12 to 15 feet higher than it normally would be,” he said.
Upper Makefield police posted the following road closures to Facebook on Monday.
—Washington Crossing Road (Route 532) between Meadowview Drive and Wrightstown Road will remain closed indefinitely because of damage from Saturday’s flood.
—Taylorsville Road will be closed between Route 532 and Mt. Eyre Road.
—Other roads may be subject to intermittent closures related to search and recovery efforts.
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