10-Year-Old Boy Drowns In Tarentum Creek

TARENTUM (KDKA) -- A 10-year-old boy drowned in a Tarentum creek Saturday afternoon.

Emergency crews were sent to the scene around 4:30 p.m. for a report that a child had drowned in the river.

Tarentum police Sgt. Ryan Hanford said when they arrived on the scene, they were told the boy was 10 years old and could not swim. The boy was playing with his brother and other children on the riverbank when the 10-year-old boy stepped into deeper water and went under.

"I arrived on scene, and I said, 'Where was he last seen?'" Hanford said. "And the kids were pointing, so I jumped in the river and swam up and was going down deep, trying to search for him, trying to find him."

Hanford was unable to locate the boy, and a special response dive team responded to the scene.

The Allegheny County medical examiner was also called to the scene.

Officials said dive crews were able to recover the boy's body just before 8 p.m.

The Allegheny County medical examiner's office has identified the victim as 10-year-old Isiah Helenkamp, of Tarentum.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter