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| 3-year-old Adelesia Answers to Addie Rae |
#UPDATE 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office took the extraordinary measure to drain the Grand Valley Irrigation Company canal. As the water level dropped, Centurylink’s helicopter assisting the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office search effort, flew above the waterway to search for any sign of the missing child.
At approximately 2:15 p.m. Sunday, the search crews in the helicopter spotted something in the water. Deputies and investigators converged on the area to investigate further. The body of a small child was found in the canal near 29 Road matching the description of Adelesia. The Mesa County Coroner’s Office is working to identify the deceased and will release their name once next-of-kin is notified.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is still seeking any video that may help investigators understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. If you have information, please call non-emergency dispatch at (970) 242-6707.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all search and rescue volunteers, Citizens on Patrol volunteers, law enforcement partners, the Grand Valley Irrigation Company, and the community for their help in this search effort. The outpouring of community support during this search effort has been unprecedented.
The family wants to thank the community for their support and compassion and has asked for privacy during this time. A Go Fund Me account has been sent up in the family’s name.
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Grand Valley Canal being drained in search for missing 3-year-old
MESA COUNTY, Colo – At 6:13 p.m. Saturday the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center received a 911 call reporting a child missing.
3-year-old Adelesia, who answers to Addie Rae, was last seen at 6:00 p.m. at a residence on Orchard Ave between 29 ½ Road and 30 Road. She was wearing a tan shirt with an orange fox and orange and blue pants. It is believed she wandered off.
Deputies and family members immediately began searching the surrounding area. GJPD officers and GJPD’s K-9 unit, CSP, and more than 20 Mesa County Search and Rescue volunteers also joined the search for the child.
A Community Notification was sent to area residents. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office also notified local media and used social media alert features to spread the word. The circumstances of this incident did not meet the qualifications to issue an amber alert.
While searching the immediate area, deputies and search and rescue volunteers, also searched several miles of the Grand Valley Irrigation Canal. Deputies found evidence Adelesia had been near the canal.
To rule out the possibility the child may have fallen into the canal, today, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Grand Valley Irrigation Company to begin the process of temporally draining the canal. This includes the Mesa County ditch mainline, the Independent Ranchman’s ditch, and the Grand Valley Irrigation Company’s Highline canal and Mainline. This is a temporary shutdown, so waterways can be searched for the missing child. This is a slow process; it could take 48 hours to drain enough to search.
While the canal is drained, the search in the surrounding community continues. Saturday, several miles around the canal, and the home where she was last seen, were searched extensively. Deputies and Mesa County Search and Rescue volunteers are searching again today.
Thank you to the countless community members who have shared Addie Rae’s information, called in tips, and helped with the search.
If you see Addie Rae or know of her whereabouts, please call 911 immediately.
3-year-old Adelesia, who answers to Addie Rae, was last seen at 6:00 p.m. at a residence on Orchard Ave between 29 ½ Road and 30 Road. She was wearing a tan shirt with an orange fox and orange and blue pants. It is believed she wandered off.
Deputies and family members immediately began searching the surrounding area. GJPD officers and GJPD’s K-9 unit, CSP, and more than 20 Mesa County Search and Rescue volunteers also joined the search for the child.
A Community Notification was sent to area residents. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office also notified local media and used social media alert features to spread the word. The circumstances of this incident did not meet the qualifications to issue an amber alert.
While searching the immediate area, deputies and search and rescue volunteers, also searched several miles of the Grand Valley Irrigation Canal. Deputies found evidence Adelesia had been near the canal.
To rule out the possibility the child may have fallen into the canal, today, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Grand Valley Irrigation Company to begin the process of temporally draining the canal. This includes the Mesa County ditch mainline, the Independent Ranchman’s ditch, and the Grand Valley Irrigation Company’s Highline canal and Mainline. This is a temporary shutdown, so waterways can be searched for the missing child. This is a slow process; it could take 48 hours to drain enough to search.
While the canal is drained, the search in the surrounding community continues. Saturday, several miles around the canal, and the home where she was last seen, were searched extensively. Deputies and Mesa County Search and Rescue volunteers are searching again today.
Thank you to the countless community members who have shared Addie Rae’s information, called in tips, and helped with the search.
If you see Addie Rae or know of her whereabouts, please call 911 immediately.
