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Columbus girl swept away by river

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 1:12 PM

By Staff report

The search for a missing 11 year old Columbus girl is now in recovery mode.

The search was temporarily suspended with darkness falling Tuesday.. Search efforts transitioned to a recovery mode when efforts resumed Wednesday morning.

At approximately 6:39 p.m. Tuesday , responders were called to Mill Race Park for a water rescue involving a missing child last seen in the East Fork of the White River. Columbus Police arrived on the scene and were advised by bystanders that a child was swept away and bystanders lost sight of her.

Columbus firefighters and the Bartholomew County Water Rescue Team soon arrived on the scene and launched three boats to search the river. Search operations were conducted into the dark over a period of four hours and included dive operations.  

Mill Race Park will be closed to the public during search operations.