Mesa County authorities on Thursday have resumed their search for a 17-year-old boy who went missing Wednesday evening in the Colorado River in Clifton.
Megan Terlecky, spokeswoman for the county sheriff’s office, said the boy was last seen calling for help about 5:30 p.m. in an area of the river near Corn Lake. She said he was not wearing a life jacket.
Search crews launched four boats Wednesday night to search for the boy, scanning the river for about two hours.
River Rescue in progress near Corn Lake. PIO enroute
— Mesa County Sheriff (@SheriffMesaColo)
“(We) didn’t find anything,” Terlecky said. “It slowly transitioned into a recovery effort. We stopped at dusk last night, and the search has resumed again this morning.”
A helicopter has joined the efforts Thursday to find the teen, who is from Mesa County.
“We have identified who the missing person is and the family is aware,” Terlecky said. “We believe he might have been part of the group that was swinging on a rope swing in the area.”
She added: “At this point, we are looking for a body. There is a possibility that he could have self-rescued somewhere and be stuck on an island or on the riverbank. That would be the best case scenario. That’s what we are all hoping for.”
