Aerial Drone Finds 2 Kids Trapped Under Ice in Kansas Lake: 'Tragic Loss'

Mar. 15, 2025

Makeshift memorial.Photo:KSHB41

KSHB41

The Linn County Sheriff’s Department said in apress releaseTuesday, Jan. 28 that aerial drone footage allowed them to find “two missing children who had not been seen for several hours.”

Officers were dispatched to the Lake Chaparral community at approximately 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27.

When deputies arrived, they quickly discovered they needed more resources and called the Linn County Fire Department for additional assistance locating the kids.

“Searchers found evidence leading them to believe the two juveniles had been around the lake,” the sheriff’s department said.

Using the aerial drone, authorities confirmed the children were “deceased in the water and trapped under ice.” The Linn County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Overland Park Fire Dive Team to recover the bodies.

person on ice — stock image.getty

getty

PEOPLE contacted the Linn County Sheriff’s Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Akes called their deaths “tragic.”

“It’s very heartbreaking for the community, and it’s going to take a long time to recover," the sheriff continued.

police lights — stock image.Getty

Getty

Elyse Schoenig, a reporter for the Kansas City news station, shareda photo on Xof a memorial at Lake De Lago made for the boys.

“As the ice shifts, it melts, it refreezes, it shifts, it melts, it refreezes and sometimes there’s a void underneath there. The water is way below the ice, and it causes it to collapse,” Akes added, perFOX 4 KC.

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The children’s school, Jayhawk USD 346, also shared a statement.

“Jayhawk Nation, Our schools are dealing with a tragic loss today,” the Mound City school said viaFacebook.

“Our staff is paying special attention to the wellbeing of our students,” the post continued, asking for “Prayers for the families, our staff, and our students!”

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, aGoFundMespokesperson told PEOPLE a fund was established for the family of the 8-year-old victim, who was identified as Keagan Grubbs.

Keagan was an “adventurous” child, who “was full of life and of love," Kat Graham, a friend of Keagan’s mother and the GoFundMe organizer, wrote.

source: people.com