Missing child’s body found
Hundreds searched for autistic girl who left her home during storm
TOWAMENCIN » The body of a 5-year-old autistic child was found Wednesday morning at Fischer’s Park in Towamencin Township, Police Chief Tim Dickinson confirmed during an afternoon press conference.
The victim, identified as Eliza Talal, of Towamencin Township, was discovered around 10:40 a.m. in the park on Bustard Road “on the land in an area of foliage adjacent to the creek” by an area resident, Dickinson said while addressing reporters at the Towamencin Township office at 1090 Troxel Road.
Police responded to a home on the 2000 block of Spring Valley Road early Tuesday afternoon after receiving a call around 12:36 p.m. reporting Eliza missing.
The girl was last seen by her family around noon on Tuesday, according to Dickinson. After contacting police, crews began searching using several methods, including boats, two helicopters,
drones and search-and-rescue teams. The chief added there were several hundred people involved in the dayand-night effort to locate Eliza.
Dickinson confirmed that a creek is located “behind the house” on Spring Valley Road, which is roughly 1.5 miles from Fischer’s Park.
“Eliza went out of the house around the height of the storm, and we all know … that creek was very swollen,” he said. “So we believe based on the circumstances … that she left the house and somehow got into the water.”
Dickinson said the investigation will continue with law enforcement representatives from the local police department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau.
“We want to try to learn as best as we can what happened,” he said.
Numerous agencies assisted at the local, state and federal levels including the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department, the Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company, the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the FBI.
Dickinson expressed his appreciation for the responders and local townspeople’s’ help.
“We have hope until there’s no longer hope and I can tell you that these police officers here, and first responders, and community members searched tirelessly,” he said. “It’s amazing when you see people come together — what they can do.”
Dickinson also took a moment to extend his heartfelt condolences to Eliza’s loved ones.
“Our prayers go out to her family who suffered a terrible loss,” he said.
Eliza’s initial disappearance came during periods of heavy rainfall, flooding and strong wind as Tropical Storm Isaias moved over the greater Philadelphia area. Dickinson cited treacherous conditions during parts of Tuesday.
“Well, the search yesterday was very challenging, especially initially, with the weather conditions that we faced. Fortunately, we didn’t get the high winds that we predicted, we got some but not as much, but the rain certainly inhibited us, and of course, the general activity in the area drained our resources very quickly,” Dickinson said.
According to the local police chief, about 11 water rescues took place on Tuesday, with the assistance of the Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company, as the search for the 5-year-old girl carried on.
Dickinson added portions of the park sustained “damage” as a result of storm conditions. He said he was stunned by the sheer volume of water. The National Weather Service recorded about 8 inches of rainfall by 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in parts of Montgomery
County.
“I’ve been police chief here for 15 years, and I have never seen that level of flooding in Towamencin Township throughout the township ... and that includes Hurricane Sandy,” Dickinson said.