Body found in Miss. River identified as teen who jumped in after two sisters

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A body recovered from the Mississippi River has been identified as one of three children who disappeared after falling in over a week ago.

A police dive team recovered the body Monday morning (May 2) in the Mississippi River near the Bywater area.

Initial reports from the scene near the Crescent Park bridge at Piety and Chartres streets indicated the body appeared to be that of a male who had been submerged for some time.

The body, tangled in wood debris near the abandoned Piety Wharf, was recovered from the water around 11:10 a.m. The corpse was not accessible from shore but was recovered by an NOPD dive team and Harbor Police patrol boat that were dispatched to the scene, after the U.S. Coast Guard said it did not have a boat crew immediately available.

A teacher at L.B. Landry High School confirmed the body found was that of Kevin Poole, a 15-year-old who jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue two sisters, Brandy and Ally Wilson, on April 23.

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Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the discovery of Poole’s body “heartbreaking” in a statement:

“Today’s news about the recovery of 15-year-old Kevin Poole Jr.’s body from the Mississippi River is absolutely heartbreaking. No parent should have to endure the tragedy of losing a child. Words can never be enough in such a devastating moment, but my thoughts and my prayers are with his family at this time as they will be for some time to come.”

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