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OGDEN — A heartbreaking search for a 4-year-old boy who fell into the Weber River and is presumed drowned entered its third day Monday.
Family members of Corbin Anderson, of Layton, have been at the search site each day, hoping for closure.
"We've all be shaking since I got the phone call. It's just been a panic for the last 36 hours or so. I'm hopeful today they find him just for that closure. I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but we do need that closure," Jennifer Jensen, Corbin's pre-school teacher and family spokeswoman, said Monday.
Corbin fell into the river about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. He was standing on a rock near the bank of the river, near 300 W. 24th Street, posing for a family picture when he fell. His father jumped in immediately after him but couldn't find his son.
A sheriff's deputy who responded to the scene also needed assistance getting out of the river because of how cold and swift it was running.
After searching Saturday night and all day Sunday, searchers brought in the Utah Department of Public Safety's Dive Team on Monday and continued using the department's helicopter.
"I think divers are going to be our most effective tool in these type of circumstances," DPS Dive Team Sgt. Jason Kelsey said.
We've all be shaking since I got the phone call. It's just been a panic for the last 36 hours or so. I'm hopeful today they find him just for that closure. I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but we do need that closure.
–Jennifer Jensen
Officials were able to lower the river level about 100 feet as they concentrated Monday on a 1,000-yard stretch of the river that has three pools. Kelsey's dive teams were also using sonar equipment to try and get an image of the river floor.
He said the river was a challenge because of its flow, the amount of debris and visibility. Divers reported being able to see a maximum of 2 feet in front of them.
Although the search got frustrating the longer it went on, Kelsey said his team would not lose its resolve because the group knows how important closure is to the family.
Robert Christensen has volunteered on his own to help look for Corbin each day. He fishes on the river regularly and wanted to help because of his familiarity with it.
"All kinds of debris in there, really hard to know what to look for," he noted. "I know if my kids did that, I'd have to have closure."
Christensen said there was a lot of dead wood along the river and deep holes that a person could get stuck under if the current pushed them the right way. He has seen a lot of debris in the river, including big items like shopping carts.
Jensen described Corbin as "a very sweet kid. He was generally very happy."
She remembered recently having a hard time getting her students to clean up after school, and Corbin stayed to help not only clean up his mess, but the entire classroom.
"He saw me struggling, saw me stressed and took pity on me. And I thought he was very sweet and I will always remember him for that," she said.
Jensen, too, has been at the river each day. "I just couldn't sit and do nothing, I had to be here.
"It's just hard to believe that I can see that photo and I was right there in front of him and I knew him so well and it's so hard to believe I won't see that again," she said.
A memorial fund has been set up at all Wells Fargo Bank locations under the Corbin Anderson Memorial Fund to help his family with expenses.*
Contributing: Shara Park
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*ksl.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does ksl.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
