Several area agencies joined the search for the 17-year-old boy. Here’s what we know now about the teen.
Teen identified
Sugarcreek police have confirmed they were searching for D’James Moore, 17, of Bellbroook. Moore’s family said they had just moved to Bellbrook last year and he was getting to know new friends. He was set to be a senior next year at Bellbrook High School.
How did he end up in the river?
Friends say Moore was with a group of at least 15 other people at a popular rope swing along the Little Miami River. According to friends at the scene, Moore presumably had fallen into the water. Friends at the scene did not initially realize the teen was in trouble.
“The longer no one was out there, the farther he went under…the more serious everyone got until everyone started trying to get in to get him and no one found him,” said Mark Head, a recent Bellbrook graduate who was at the rope swing.
MORE: Crews rescue 2 from Little Miami River in Sugarcreek Twp.
Body recovered
Moore’s body was found 12-15 yards from where witnesses last reported seeing the boy, according to Sugarcreek Fire Chief Jeff Leaming. He was found in a pocket of the river that was about 12-13 feet deep.
It is completely legal to swim on the stretch of the river but Leaming said the river conditions it is unsafe to do so without a life vest.
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