Collin drowned Monday afternoon in Buck Creek, behind Carleton Davidson Stadium on Mitchell Boulevard, where he had been swimming with his brothers and a friend near the low head dam.
The Rev. Terry Phillps, pastor of New Life Church where Collin attended, will be officiating, according to the obituary.
Share condolences, memories for Collin Jenkins »
Aug. 18 @ 7:35 p.m.: Collin Jenkins drowned Monday afternoon in Buck Creek, behind Carleton Davidson Stadium on Mitchell Boulevard.
Pernell Banks, 46, another of the boy's uncles, was standing near the dive team when they found the body."He was a great kid. I just can't believe it," Banks said. "It's pretty hard when you lose a small child like that. I don't know why they had him down there swimming."
He broke the news to Collin's mother, Sanceia Jenkins, who sobbed and fell to her knees. "He was too young to die, he was too young to die," she said.
New Life Church members gathered at the creek during the search and said they were praying for a miracle for the family, who attend the church. Pastor Terry Phillips and his wife were saddened when crews recovered Collin's body.
"You try to find words of comfort for the family, but at a time like this, words don't comfort. It's your presence more than anything else," Phillips said.
The last time he talked with Collin, he recalled, the boy had asked him for a piece of candy. When Phillips told him he didn't have any, Collin said: "Well, you should," Phillips said, laughing.
"You just never think that's going to be the last time you talk to someone," he said.
UPDATE @ 5:45 p.m.: Collin Jenkins, whose body was pulled from Buck Creek on Monday afternoon, should not have been swimming in that area because of the dangers of the low-head dam that's there, a Springfield fire captain said.
Collin, 9, had been swimming with his younger brothers and a friend "and he didn't come out of the water," Capt. Pat Casey said. The body was found by a dive team more than three hours later, about 10 to 12 feet from the riverbank and in 6 feet of water, he said. They had been searching in that area since just after 2 p.m.
Collin, according to his mother, could not swim. Casey said their preliminary investigation shows the boy was the oldest of the siblings who had been swimming and sliding down the moss-covered low-head dam. Their uncle was there with them, according to family members.
Casey said low overhead dams are extremely hazardous, noting, "if you get caught up in the undertow of that, it will not let you out. He [Collin] got caught up in the undertow and wasn't able to get out."
Even good swimmers would have trouble getting out of the churning water, Casey said. There are signs posted along the shoreline warning that swimming is not allowed, he said, "but this particular area is out of sight from everybody and hard to regulate. There have been two or three drownings at the site in the past."
He encouraged everyone to stay away from low-head dams, noting there are three or four farther down the river.
Casey said criminal charges are possible, but it's a police matter. "Adults should be responsible for the actions of children they's supposed to keep their eyes on," the captain said.
UPDATE @ 5:04 p.m.: Capt. Mike Hill, Springfield police, confirms that Collin Jenkins is the boy pulled from Buck Creek this afternoon.
UPDATE @ 4:35 p.m.: A dive team at Buck Creek is pulling a body out of the water and the Clark County coroner has been called to make a positive identification.
The boy is believed to be Collin Jenkins. According to his mother, Collin could not swim and was at the park with his uncle and three brothers.
They had been there since about 12:30 or 1 p.m., she said.
UPDATE @ 4:15 p.m.: According to multiple family members, 9-year-old Collin Jenkins is the focus of the search at Buck Creek.
The boy's uncle says the child was going down a slide and was caught by the current.
FIRST TAKE: Emergency personnel are responding this afternoon on a report of a missing boy who was last seen in Buck Creek in Springfield.
Springfield firefighters and police responded at approximately 2:30 p.m. to the area of Lagonda Field off Mitchell Boulevard.
The 9-year-old child was with family and was last seen in the river, according to early, unconfirmed reports.
We have a crew on scene and we'll provide updates as more information becomes available.
About the Author