The city of Siloam Springs has canceled the grand opening of the Whitewater Recreational Park out of respect for the family of Tuesday’s (June 17) drowning victim, officials announced Wednesday (June 18).
Evan Thomas, 16, was named as the victim in an accidental drowning at Siloam Springs’ Whitewater Recreational Park, according to officials.
Authorities were called to the park around 4:20 p.m. in reference to the missing 16-year-old boy, said city spokeswoman Holland Hayden. Officials closed down the park, and a Benton County dive team was called to search the water. City officials announced around 7:50 p.m. the teenager’s body had been found and his parents had been notified.
The boy’s body was pulled from the Illinois River shortly afterward, about 200 yards downstream from the park, Hayden said.
