DAYTON — People are heartbroken knowing the search for seven-year-old Lucas Rosales is over.
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The coroner confirmed Tuesday it was Lucas’ body that crews pulled from the Great Miami last weekend in Dayton. Now, his family is planning his funeral.
News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis spoke with people Tuesday.
“It’s sad,” said Dale Herring. “It’s sad.”
Lewis says everyone feels the same way.
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“It’s just a really, really sad day for the community,” said Samantha Vanderburgh.
It’s sad because we now know Lucas Rosales is gone.
News Center 7 first his disappearance on April 29 when he went missing at Eastwood MetroPark. He was fishing with family which led to days of searching on land and in the water.
Lewis says crews found a boy’s body in the Great Miami River roughly five miles away from Eastwood MetroPark on May 13.
The coroner’s office confirmed Tuesday the body was Lucas Rosales.
“I have two young girls around his age,” said Jumanah Mustafa. ”Nobody wants to hear about something like that.”
Lewis says Dayton and Fire posted a statement on social media Tuesday.
“Following an intense two weeks that involved the dedicated efforts of dozens of emergency personnel, family members, trained volunteers, and K-9s, the search for seven-year-old Lucas Rosales has come to an end. At approximately 5:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 13th, the body of a child was spotted by a passerby in the Great Miami River in downtown Dayton. Dayton Fire and Police crews responded, and it was determined that the victim was deceased and that it was likely Lucas. Lucas’s body was quickly and respectfully removed from the water, and confirmation of his identity was later made by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. Our hearts go out to Lucas’s family in this time of tragedy, and the City of Dayton collectively mourns the loss of this precious young life.”
“It’s just terrible whenever a life is cut short, someone’s missing,” said Vanderbaugh. “You really hope to find them, but tragically sometimes it ends you finding them under really bad circumstances.”
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When News Center 7 talked with Lucas’ family, they described him as a smart, social little boy, who loved candy, and drawing pictures of sharks.
“When you hear stuff like this, it really hurts your heart but you know you try to be strong and my heart goes out to the parents of the boy,” Mustafa told Lewis.
The family thanked people for their prayers, kind words, and donations, they wrote in Lucas obituary.
The funeral and visitation are set for May 22 at Woodland Cemetery Mausoleum on Woodland Avenue.
The visitation is at 10 a.m. and the funeral is 12 p.m.
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