As divers searched for a third day in the muddy Allegheny River to recover the body of 6-year-old Lunden Butler, family and friends of the apparent drowning victim tearfully waited for closure Thursday.
Grief counselors encouraged them to remember the good times with the boy, who enjoyed joking with his two sisters and cousin. And the boy's mother, Barbara "Annie" Butler, spoke about the events leading up to the tragedy.
About 8 p.m. Tuesday, Lunden apparently slipped off a floating fishing pier. High, raging river water from recent downpours overpowered the boy, who was with his 9-year-old cousin, Crystal Wyble.
By 8:30 p.m. last evening, volunteers hadn't found him and were called off the river. There were at least six boats searching with dragging hooks and a number of divers. A low-flying airplane searched the river until dark.
Arnold police Chief Ronald Hopkins said a scaled-down search would resume this morning.
Lunden's last moments Tuesday evening were spent around the family dinner table, his mother said. After dinner, his mother told Lunden to get some swimming clothes for the next day from his grandmother's house a block away, and to take his older cousin, Crystal, with him.
"He never came back," Barbara Butler said, choking back tears.
She's not sure why Lunden and Crystal went to the river, but she indicated frustration with the new fishing pier, which the city unveiled this year to increase recreational opportunities.
"The pier down here, I guess (kids) see it as something to play on," Barbara Butler said. "There's that driveway that leads down to it -- it sort of calls to them. I feel it should be fenced off."
Lunden was scheduled to start first grade this fall.
Pamela Williams, a grief counselor with Family Services of Western Pennsylvania, spent the past two days consoling family members.
"We let them do the talking about how they feel," said Williams, who also is a New Kensington firefighter. "We get them to do a lot of hugging and touching. We tell them it's no one's fault. One of the sisters thought it was someone's fault -- it's not.
"We talked about him being in heaven, and that was very important to them."
Lunden's father, who lives in Pittsburgh, also is grieving, Williams said.
Additional Information:
How to help
Lunden Butler Benefit Fund. Donations can be sent to Parkvale Bank, 931 Fifth Ave., New Kensington, PA 15068.People can also drop off donations in person at the bank from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
