A teen football star has been identified as one of the victims who died in the disastrous floods in Indiana.
Matthew Morey’s body was recovered on Saturday from the Mississinewa River after he was reported missing, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said.
Search efforts for the 18-year-old began after he and a group of people jumped into the water near Muncie on Wednesday, officials said.
It is unclear why they jumped into the water. Sheriff’s deputies helped pull three people to safety, but they couldn’t locate Morey.
Because of dangerous conditions, the search for Morey was suspended on Thursday amid the ‘once in a lifetime’ sweeping floods.
Before he was found, his devastated mother, Angie Morey, searched tirelessly for her then-missing son.
‘I’m hurt and I need some help, and so we’re not there and I can’t get there,’ Angie told NBC News as she cried on Friday.
‘I can’t get to him because there’s no – I can’t get in a boat. If I had a boat, I swear to God I’d be in that water,’ she added, explaining that people were told the current was too strong to get in a boat.
Matthew Morey (pictured with his mother), 18, has been identified as one of the victims who died in the terrifying flood in Indiana
At least six people, including Morey, lost their lives in the surging flood, and countless more have lost their homes as of Sunday morning
Angie sadly continued: ‘And my hope is that he’s still alive.’
Morey recently graduated from high school and was set to attend Perdue University, NBC News affiliate KYMA reported.
At least six people, including Morey, lost their lives in the surging flood, and countless more have lost their homes as of Sunday morning.
A four-year-old boy, 58-year-old woman, and two other females died in the flood, authorities said. Their identities are unknown at this time.
At least 70 people had been rescued on Saturday, Indianapolis Fire Department spokesperson Rita Reith said.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett declared a national emergency on Friday after days of heavy rainfall caused creeks and streams across the state to swell.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Indiana, and federal disaster assistance is available to the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
Hogsett said the city was dealing with its most severe flooding in more than 30 years and conditions were shifting rapidly.
Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, called it a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ flood.
Morey recently graduated from high school and was set to attend Perdue University
‘This is an unprecedented event, and unfortunately we’re setting some new records,’ he told The Associated Press.
The National Weather Service reported that more than 11 inches of rain fell over a two-day period in some areas.
A Meal Train fundraiser has since been launched for the Morey family.
They have requested that people make monetary donations or send gift cards instead of meals, the page read.
As of Sunday morning, more than $15,000 had been raised for the grieving family.
Locals came out for a massive candlelight vigil in honor of the teen. His heartbroken family was seen standing in the front row.
A two-year-old girl named Alayna has been left fighting for her life in the hospital after she drowned when flood water took over her family’s basement, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser.
The toddler was at home with her mother, Becky, and her 13-year-old brother, Liem, when their home in Rush County flooded, her aunt shared.
Liem called 911 after finding his sister under water while their mother performed CPR on the little girl.
Emergency responders couldn’t reach the home because the flood waters were too high, so a local farmer used his tractor to help them get to Alayna, the page read.
She was airlifted to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and remains in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
A two-year-old girl named Alayna has been left fighting for her life in the hospital after she drowned when flood water took over her family’s basement
A Meal Train fundraiser has since been launched for the Morey family (pictured)
Breaking news… updates to follow.
