Crews begin recovery mission for 3 girls missing in Missouri River

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - A rescue effort turned into a recovery mission Wednesday morning as authorities searched for three girls who went missing in the Missouri River late Tuesday.

Omaha Police confirmed Wednesday evening the names of the three they’re searching for: Laiana Green and Lah K. Tray Moo, both age 18, and 11-year-old Eh Cress Moo.

Crews responded to the incident at NP Dodge Park in Omaha at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities said four girls went fishing and went into the water near the boat dock, then floated down the river.

A witness said they were struggling in the water, and only one girl came out.

Battalion Chief Coby Werner said the girl, a 13-year-old, was found on the side of the river crying, which is what prompted the call for help. She was taken to the hospital after telling crews she’s related to the three others.

It’s likely none of the girls were wearing life jackets, according to an update from officials Wednesday morning.

Emergency crews returned to the area shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday to continue their search efforts, asking the public to stay off the river while they work through the area.

Authorities told WOWT that they were taking a different approach to their efforts Wednesday: Each agency was assigned a specific section of the river to search instead of everyone going together.

There were times Wednesday they thought they’d found something, but it turned out to be debris.

Authorities said they expect to broaden their search Thursday and begin moving farther downstream.

The Missouri River’s water temperature is currently about 45 degrees, authorities said, noting that colder water can keep a victim down longer than if the water was warmer.

Eight boats, four agencies, a police helicopter, and an OFD drone assisted in the rescue efforts Tuesday night. Responding agencies include the Bennington Fire Department, the Omaha Fire Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Omaha district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

After about 2.5 hours of searching, the effort was called off at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, around sunset, because it was getting dark and was hard to see.

Authorities told WOWT that most river searches lasting longer than an hour make a slow transition to a recovery mode, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still looking for survivors at that point.

Authorities plan to continue the search into and throughout the weekend, using special tech that will aid in the search. They said the river is very dangerous, with a deep current and lots of debris, making it difficult to search; but they will continue to search until dark each night.

“The river is really dangerous, so we do not search the river at night,” Werner said. “Earlier [Wednesday], there was a whole tree that was flowing down — and that’s just one example of why it’s not safe to be on the river at night. So we’ll stop searches for the night, but we’ll start it up right again first light tomorrow morning and continue the search.