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The body of a 6-year-old boy was found days after his mother died trying to save him from drowning in Massachusetts.
The Newburyport Fire Department confirmed a kayaker spotted "what is believed to be the body of 6-year-old Mas DeChhat" in the Merrimack River on Sunday (June 12), three days after his mother, Boua DeChhat, 29, "lost her life" rescuing his sister and trying to save him during a family fishing trip, according to a department news release updating the situation.
The remains will be sent to the Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner for positive identification, the department confirmed.
Authorities had previously confirmed that Mas DeChhat and his 7-year-old sister entered the river during the fishing trip and his mother followed them in to retrieve them.
Boua DeChhat received assistance from a nearby fishing vessel and was got her daughter onto the boat, but unable to pull herself up before underwater and never resurfacing, the Newburyport Fire Department confirmed.
Rescue crews eventually located the mother and pulled her from the water, however, she was found unresponsive and not breathing and later pronounced dead at Anna Jaques Hospital.
Rescuers were unable to locate the Mas DeChhat at the time as the search was declared a recovery operation on Friday (June 10) and continued into the weekend.
"Police and Fire Marine Units, State Police and Boston Fire dive teams and Harbormasters searched the river aggressively over the past four days," the Newburyport Fire Department said in its statement. "The joint search teams and first responders together send their deepest sympathies and condolences to the DeChhat family."