Dam breaks, search for 4-year-old boy resumes passive status

THIS IS WDSU NEWS AT 5:. >> HE TOUCHED ALL OF OUR HEARTS. HE DID, YOU KNOW, AND THAT’SHY W THE WHOLE FAMILY CAME TOGETHER HERE AND TRYING TO GET TOGETHE R AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE CLOSE.UR TRAVERS: TONIGHT, A FAMILY WAITS AS CREWSOR WK TO FIND THE BODY OF 4-YEAR-OLD ELLIS BAUDEAN, THE LITTLE BOY IS MISSING IN THE SWAMPY WATER IN THE JEAN LAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. CHRISTINA: AND COUNTLESS FIRST RESPONDERS SPENT THE PAST SIX DAYS LOOKING FOR ELLIS. WDSU’S ARYUB KILLION JOINS US LIVE FMRO THE SCENE WITH THE VERY LATEST FROM HIS FAMILY. AUBRY, WHAT DIDHE T TELL YOU TODAY? AUBRY: WELL, ELLIS BAUDEAN’S FAMILY SAYS THEY ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYBODY WHO IS ASSISTING IN THIS MASSIVE SEARCH EFFORT AND RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE PRAYING FOR SOME SORT OF OSCLURE. >> I MEAN, IT’S, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT, WE NEED CLOSURE. AUBRY: IT’S A DES PAT AND MASSIVE SEARCHOR F THE BODY OF 4-YEAR-OLD ELLIS BAUDEAN. >> HE WAS APEAL S LITTLE BOY TO US. THAT’S WHY WE COME TOGETHER AS A WHOL AEND COMMUNITY. PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT AND BROUGHT US TOOLS AND BROUGHT US EVERYTHING THAT WE NEEDED THAT WAS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THAT. AUBRY: COUNTLESS FIRST RESPONDERS AND VOLUNTEERS HAVE STEPPED UP. MUCH OF THIS MACHINERY WAS DONATED BY A LOCAL CONTRACTOR. THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY’VE COMPLETED AAM D AND PUMPS WERE BROUGHT IN TO DRAIN THIS CANAL. >> OVER TWO MILONLI GALLONS OF WATER. WE KNOW IT’S GOING TO TAKE SEVERAL, SEVERAL HOURS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK AT A BARE MINIMUM, EIGHT HOURS. I THINK PROBABLY WITH DEBRIS CLOGS AND THE REST OF IT, YOU’RE LOOKING AT MORE THAN THAT. AUBRY: LAST THURSDAY, THE CHILD WAS WITH HIS MOTHER AND 3-YEAR-OLD BROTHER WHEN HE FELL INTO THE WATER. THEY AREN’T STOPPING UNTIL THEY FIND HIM. >> THE BESTNF IORMATION THAT WE HAVE IS THAT THE CHILD IS IN THIS WATER. AND WE’RE GOING TO — WRE E’ GOING TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, LOOK, THERE’S ALWAYS POSSIBILITIES IT WTEN FURTHER DOWNSTREAM. WE KNOW THROUGH OUR DUE DILIGENCE THIS IS A GOOD PLAN AND A GOOD THOUGHT-OUT PLAN FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH. AUBRY: FOR NOW, THE FAMILY SITS AND WAITS FOR THIS WATER TO DRAIN. AS CREWS SEARCH TO FIND A LITTLE BOY THAT TOUCHED SO MANY HEARTS. >> TOUCHED ALL OF OUR HEARTS, HE DID. YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHY THE WHOLE FAMILY CAME TOGETRHE HERE AND TRYING TO GET TOGETHER AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE CLOSURE. MAIN THING I’M HERE FOR IS TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO CAME FORTH AND PUT FORTH THE EFFORT, VOLUNTEERS, CIVILIANS, OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS, FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND JUST EVERYBODY WHO CAME AND, YOU KNOW, BROUGHT US FOOD, BROUGHT US TOOLS. ANYTHI WNGE NEEDED, OUR COMMUNITY REALLY CAME TOGETHER AND MY FAMILY THANKS THEM FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEART FOR ATTH AUBRY: THE SHERIFF ALSO SAYS SO FAR, THEY’VE PUMPED OUT ABOUT FOUR FEET OF WAR.TE I’M TOLD THE BODY OF WATER IS ABOUT 25 FEET DEEP. THERE’S ALSO MAJOR CONCERN ABOUT ALLIGATORSS A WELL. THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES IS OUT HE

Search for 4-year-old halted after dam breaks at Jean Lafitte National Park

Crews to dam, drain canal where Ellis Baudean went missing

Updated: 9:46 PM CDT Jul 20, 2021

Work to drain part of the Twin Canals inside Jean Lafitte National Historic Park was not successful. JPSO says they lost the clay dam early Tuesday night and the original water levels returned. The recovery effort now resumes its passive status for the next few days. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said he was granted a permit by the National Park Service to drain part of the Twin Canals inside Jean Lafitte National Historical Park in an effort to recover 4-year-old Ellis Baudean, who has been missing since Thursday.Crews worked on bridging a 35-foot section of the canal until about 8:30 p.m. Monday when they ran out of clay. Baudean was reported missing around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Lopinto said the child was with his mother and 3-year-old brother at the preserve when he is believed to have fallen into the water. He said Ellis is non-verbal and on the autism spectrum, adding “there is zero evidence of foul play.”Rescue divers had been working blind, reporting they could not see anything below the murky water’s surface. Lopinto said the owner of B and S Equipment, a local company, volunteered to dam the canal and drain the water. Lopinto applied for a special permit to build the dam and drain the canal Sunday, which he said was approved Monday.He said crews are using clay from Edgard that was approved by the Army Corp of Engineers for use at the National Park. JPSO says the effort thought was not in vain. They were able to drain about half of the water from the search area which allowed crews to check the root system and they were able to narrow the search area for the remote operating vehicle, and its sonar equipment. Crews will be in the area for the next few days to ensure the site is returned to the pristine condition it was in.

Work to drain part of the Twin Canals inside Jean Lafitte National Historic Park was not successful. JPSO says they lost the clay dam early Tuesday night and the original water levels returned. The recovery effort now resumes its passive status for the next few days.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said he was granted a permit by the National Park Service to drain part of the Twin Canals inside Jean Lafitte National Historical Park in an effort to recover 4-year-old Ellis Baudean, who has been missing since Thursday.

Crews worked on bridging a 35-foot section of the canal until about 8:30 p.m. Monday when they ran out of clay.

Baudean was reported missing around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Lopinto said the child was with his mother and 3-year-old brother at the preserve when he is believed to have fallen into the water. He said Ellis is non-verbal and on the autism spectrum, adding “there is zero evidence of foul play.”

Rescue divers had been working blind, reporting they could not see anything below the murky water’s surface. Lopinto said the owner of B and S Equipment, a local company, volunteered to dam the canal and drain the water. Lopinto applied for a special permit to build the dam and drain the canal Sunday, which he said was approved Monday.

He said crews are using clay from Edgard that was approved by the Army Corp of Engineers for use at the National Park.

JPSO says the effort thought was not in vain. They were able to drain about half of the water from the search area which allowed crews to check the root system and they were able to narrow the search area for the remote operating vehicle, and its sonar equipment.

Crews will be in the area for the next few days to ensure the site is returned to the pristine condition it was in.