March 29--MCALLEN -- The body of a child believed to be John Perri, 7, was discovered about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in a canal in McAllen, according to McAllen city spokesman Ray Pedraza. The body was discovered 200 yards north of where the child fell into the canal Wednesday near Ware Road and Auburn Avenue, Pedraza said.
McAllen fire Chief Rafael Balderas was on the scene late Thursday night as the discovery was made.
As the search for Perri hit 24 hours Thursday night, the McAllen Fire Department mobilized eight teams to scan the receding waters of the canal he fell into near his home.
The McAllen Fire Department led the search for Perri, who reportedly tripped and landed in the canal near Ware Road and Auburn Avenue about 7:10 p.m. Wednesday.
Balderas said he and police Chief Victor Rodriguez spoke to the boy's family Wednesday night, telling them the search had turned from a rescue effort into an attempt to recover their son's body.
A while later, about 5 p.m., Balderas said the canal's waters had receded by several feet to a depth of about three feet.
The two-person search teams sent out Thursday night, along with other personnel, made for a search party of about 25. Balderas said it was hoped the water would be low enough to easily see the boy.
Officials said the chilly water temperature hindered the likelihood the boy's body would float to the surface sooner than later.
The 12-feet-deep canal maintained by Hidalgo County Irrigation District 1 stretches at least 26 miles from Penitas to the site where the boy fell, Field Operation Superintendent Richard Garza said.
Garza said he made the decision to drain the canal, shutting it down, with the approval of the district board Thursday morning.
"It had to be done," he said.
Garza said the controversy surrounding last year's search for Andres Frias, after the 18-year-old fell to his death in a canal south of McAllen, influenced his decision. For a time, Hidalgo County Irrigation District 2 officials said they would not drain the canal Frias fell into because it would affect five cities and thousands of acres of farmland.
The canal Perri fell into supplies Edinburg, Sharyland and Alamo, Garza said. The cities were aware of the shutdown and made preparations, he said.
Because thousands of gallons of water flows through the canal, it takes some time for it to drain and recent drought has pushed more through for farmers irrigating their lands, he explained.
The McAllen fire chief warned canals are often misleading; while the surface water appears calm, the undercurrent is very strong.
Authorities searched by land, water and air via a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter for Perri. McAllen sent four engine companies, while the Mission Fire Department dive team used a boat and sonar to locate the boy. Edinburg and Pharr fire departments lent their equipment.
About 6:30 p.m. Thursday, a woman whom officials identified as the boy's grandmother stood anxiously watching on the canal banks.
The Mission Fire Department dive team had found something.
But, it wasn't John Perri.
Instead, battered and decayed lawn chairs were pulled out.
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Monitor Staff Writer Ildefonso Ortiz contributed to this report.
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Jacqueline Armendariz covers courts, law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at [email protected], (956) 683-4434 or on Twitter, @jarmendariz.
Copyright 2013 - The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
