Article Taken From KTVU news online

Sad Ending To Delta Search For Missing Toddler

POSTED: 7:47 am PDT August 11, 2006
UPDATED: 1:25 pm PDT August 11, 2006

BRADFORD ISLAND -- The body of a 20-month-old boy who died after apparently wandering off from his family home on remote Bradford Island in Contra Costa County was recovered in the delta waters Friday just a few hundred feet from his family's house, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Jimmy Lee.

After an unsuccessful multi-agency search-and-rescue effort overnight, the search for Kasey Earp resumed at 7 a.m., Lee said.

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel spotted Kasey's body in the water around 8:15 a.m. and a diver recovered the body, which is now in the custody of the county coroner.

The toddler's home is about 40 feet from the water's edge on Bradford Island, separated from the delta by a road, according to Lee.

Authorities first learned that Kasey was missing at 7:40 p.m. Thursday, one or two hours after his family first realized he was no longer at home.

"We're still trying to find out exactly what happened," Lee said. "Right now it's pretty wide open."

Lee said the Sheriff's Office had a helicopter looking for Kasey within five minutes of his being reported missing to authorities.

Investigators were interviewing the boy's family and neighbors to try and nail down a timeline of how and when he went missing. Lee said Kasey's family might have been looking for him with relatives and neighbors before contacting authorities.

An autopsy would help determine the cause of the boy's death, Lee said.

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MCSO SAR Unit Mission Summary (mission 06-20)