2 dead, 4-year-old child missing after being swept down Provo River


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PROVO CANYON — Two people are dead and a child is missing after they were swept down the Provo River Monday afternoon.

Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said London DeDios, 4, went into the water near Bridal Veil Falls at around 2:40 p.m.

The child's mother and four other adults jumped in to rescue the girl, Cannon said. Three adults were able to get themselves out of the river, but London's mother and another man were pulled from the water at the Murdock diversion dam near the mouth of Provo Canyon.

Rescuers worked to resuscitate the woman and man as the two were transported to a nearby hospital. They were pronounced dead a short time later, Cannon said.

The sergeant identified the deceased as Brenda DeDios, 34, of West Jordan; and Sean Thayne, 30, of Sandy. He said Thayne was a bystander who didn't know DeDios or her child but jumped in to help.

The search for London was underway late into Monday evening, with around 130 people — including Utah County Search and Rescue crews, Provo and Orem police, and volunteers — looking along the river and as far south as Utah Lake in hopes of finding the girl.

Around 9 p.m., the sheriff's office announced that full-scale search efforts were called off, though several search teams were expected to remain in the area overnight. The full-scale search is set to reconvene at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Utah water conservancy officials will reduce the outflow from the Deer Creek Reservoir to lower the water level flowing through Provo River in hopes of helping with search efforts Tuesday.

Timpanogos Park will be closed to the public Tuesday as the search continues.

For now, authorities just want others to be extremely careful around Utah's rivers.

"It takes two seconds, literally, for a child to jump away from a parent and stumble and fall into the water," Cannon said. "Don’t think that you’re safe standing on the shore without a life jacket, especially a child."

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