The body of a 2-year-old girl, identified as Matilda “Matty” Shields, was found Friday night in Pennsylvania’s Delaware River.
The tragic discovery came five days after the girl, along with her mother and younger brother, was swept away in heavy rains, reports said. new york post.
Body of 2-year-old girl found dead in Pennsylvania floods https://t.co/qgU2edjfrK pic.twitter.com/OEaxwDJ1Jk
— New York Post (@nypost) July 22, 2023
Matty’s body was found around 5 p.m. near a pile of rubble near the Philadelphia landfill, about 52 miles from where it was first removed on July 16, the paper reported.
Her mother, Katie Selley, 32, tragically died in a brave attempt to rescue her children from a car before powerful floods swept them away. The body of Matty’s nine-month-old brother, Conrad Shields, is still missing, according to the New York Post. (Related: Pennsylvania flash flood kills five, children remain missing)
Fire Chief Tim Brewer said the Shields family, from South Carolina, were caught in the floodwaters on their way to a family barbecue in Pennsylvania.
According to the New York Post, Matty’s brother Jack, 4, his father Jim, and maternal grandmother Dahlia miraculously survived.
“Our hearts are broken tonight,” the Upper Makefield Township Police Department said in a press release.
Matty’s body was returned to her grieving family, who issued a statement saying they thanked her for her return through police and continued to pray for Conrad’s safe return, the newspaper said.
“Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and kindness. We are humbled,” said the Shales family.
A medical examiner in Philadelphia performed an autopsy on Matty Shields on Saturday, according to the New York Post.
The devastating floods that hit Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, on July 15 brought about seven inches of rain in just 45 minutes, claiming four other lives, the paper reported.
