TWO RIVERS - The body of 7-year-old Jacob Baer was recovered from the West Twin River Sunday morning, Two Rivers police confirmed in a news release.
Baer had been missing since Saturday night when he was last seen around 4:36 p.m. at Veterans Park, 1818 School St.
Police said in the release that Jacob was described as an autistic boy who was playing outside when his parent lost sight of him.
An immediate search was conducted using many resources throughout the night as well as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, police said.
A Missing and Endangered Alert and a local alert were sent through the Emergency Operations Center.
Search efforts located several items belonging to Jacob and they were recovered from the water Saturday night.
Sunday morning, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources identified a possible location in 5 to 6 feet of water, for what was believed to be Jacob. Recovery operations then continued until late Sunday morning when a body was recovered from that location and positively identified as Jacob Baer, police said.
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"This tragic event is a reminder of how dangerous the ice can be on our waterways, especially this time of year when it is very thin," the release from police said. "Please stay off the ice and keep your children safe by monitoring them closely when around any waterway."
Police said they also respect the family's right to privacy and added the incident is under investigation and no further details would be immediately released.
Agencies assisting with the search included the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard Ice Search and Rescue Team, the Wisconsin National Guard and local fire departments and law enforcement. The search also included drones, a helicopter and K-9 units.
Anyone with information can call Two Rivers Police Department at 920-686-7200.
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Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com, or follow him on X at @breidHTRNews.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Missing Two Rivers boy Jacob Baer: Body found in West Twin River