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Originally Posted by AP
BALLWIN, Mo. - Five youngsters, including four siblings, drowned during a church outing after one became caught in a river's undertow and the others jumped in to help, authorities said Monday. A sixth youth was rescued and hospitalized.
The six were part of a group of about 50 youngsters with the St. Louis Dream Center, an interdenominational church that was celebrating a volunteer appreciation day with a barbecue and swimming in Castlewood State Park southwest of St. Louis.
People at the scene said the youths were swept away as they played in the Meramec River on Sunday evening, said Tracy Panus, a spokeswoman for St. Louis County police. They ranged in age from 10 to 17, officials said.
Edris Moore, the mother of the four siblings, said Monday outside her St. Louis home that she was placing her faith in God. The mother of the fifth child declined to comment Monday and retained two attorneys.
Moore has four surviving children, two of whom were at the outing. She said that it "doesn't concern me" precisely what transpired and that the children "went on to be with the Lord."
Said church pastor Jeff Allensworth: "Let me say this is one of the most horrendous things a church family, any family, would have to go through. I just ask that as we sort through this and minister to the families, you all pray for us."
Authorities received the first call around 6:30 p.m. Sunday and worked through the night to find the victims.
Metro West Fire Department Chief Vincent Loyal said that when rescue workers arrived, two victims had already been pulled from the river, and that one later died. The second youth, a male, was hospitalized, Loyal said.
The body of the last victim was pulled from the river about 6 a.m. Monday.
Parts of the river are shallow enough to walk in, but St. Louis County Police Lt. Gary Barra said the bodies were found in water eight to 12 feet deep.
The victims were four boys, Ryan Mason, 14; Damon Johnson, 17; Bryant Barnes, 10; and Deandra Sherman, 16; and a 13-year-old girl, Dana Johnson, said Terry Ledbetter of the St. Louis County medical examiner's office. All the children except Deandra were Moore's.
Moore, who works at the Dream Center as a cook, said none of the children had ever taken swimming lessons.
Rescue workers were hampered by inconsistent reports about how many children were attending the event and how many were missing, Panus said.
"It was just depressing," Panus said. "It was horrible. You have a church group out there for a good reason, a good cause. No one is out there drinking or getting stoned, and a tragedy can happen just like that. It's kids and it's tragic."
According to its Web site, the Dream Center in north St. Louis is an interdenominational church that offers a variety of social services from a teen drop-in center to programs for the homeless.
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07-10-2006, 10:53 PM
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