Has Matilda Shiels been found? Body of child, 2, found as search for nine-month-old brother continues after Pennsylvania floods
BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: The body of a little girl has reportedly been recovered from the Delaware River in Pennsylvania on Friday, July 21. According to authorities, the child has been identified as Matilda Shiels. The two-year-old had been missing since last weekend after flash floods struck Bucks County.
The Daily Mail reported that the police identified the toddler through her clothes. Matilda's body were found just days after her 32-year-old mother, Katie Seely, was found dead in the floods. The mother-daughter duo along with other family members came to Bucks County from Charleston, South Carolina, to meet relatives when tragedy struck.
Has Matilda Shiels been found?
While officials strongly believe that the body found was Matilda's, they are still looking for her nine-month-old brother Conrad. As per reports, Matilda's family got stuck along with other people on General Washington Memorial Boulevard near the river on Saturday, July 15. However, her father, Jim, and her elder brother Jack, survived. Also, the children’s 62-year-old grandmother, Dahlia, was swept away in the raging waters but she managed to survive.
Earlier, police told Fox News, “Unbelievably, the grandmother survived and was treated at a local hospital. However, the lovely mother of these two beautiful children was one the people we found deceased during.... search efforts. So, it is their two children we are looking to bring home.”
‘We ask that you continue to pray for the return of Conrad’
A statement from the Sheils' family read, “Our family would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the enormous efforts of so many emergency personnel who have been working tirelessly, in dangerous and difficult conditions, to rescue the victims of this horrific tragedy.”
“Their compassion, kindness, and bravery have given us strength in this unspeakably difficult time, and their commitment to bringing Conrad and Mattie home is unwavering. We ask that you continue to pray for the return of Conrad and Mattie and for the safety of all of those committed to bringing them home to us,” it added.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has also been started to help the Sheils family. The message on the fundraiser says, “As some of you may know, our family suffered a terrible tragedy this weekend. On Saturday evening, while driving to our parent's house for a BBQ, my brother, Jim, his fiance, Katie, Katie's mother, and Jim and Katie's three children were caught in a sudden flash flood. Miraculously, Jim and his oldest son, Jack, survived, as did Katie's mother, Dahlia.”
“Unfortunately, Katie did not survive, and their two children, Matilda (Mattie), 2 years old, and Conrad, 9 months are still missing. We've received an incredible outpouring of love and support, and we are so grateful for everyone's kindness and prayers,” it further stated, adding, “Many people have asked how they can support the family, so we have created this GoFundMe page to provide some relief for Jack and Jim.”