Corbin Hays, 13, (Body Found) Missing Since 5/28/09, Rio Rancho, NM

[Faith]

Rescuers hunt boy caught in Rio Grande
Search continues overnight

Updated: Friday, 29 May 2009, 8:30 AM MDT
Published : Friday, 29 May 2009, 12:20 AM MDT

* Reporter: Jim Winchester
* Web Producer: Bill Diven

http://media2.krqe.com//photo/2009/05/28/crime_krqe_rio_rancho_mug_corbin_hays_river_search _20090518_20090528181622_320_240.JPG

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) - Searchers continued hunting overnight for a 13-year-old boy reported to have been swept away while swimming in the Rio Grande Thursday afternoon.

New Mexico State Police have now taken over the search which began around 3 p.m. Thursday after Corbin Hays disappeared in the river below Rio Rancho's River's Edge III subdivision.

Hovercraft were no longer on the river, but rescuers with search dogs planned to work both banks of the river through the night.

"We've been searching the river bank; we've had ATV's, crews up and down the river searching for this young man," Capt. Jimmy DeFillippo of Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue said. "We've been contacting friends, family.

"We've been checking their house repeatedly to see if he's gotten home, if he has gotten out of the river, if he's tried to contact anybody."

Rio Rancho police reported Hays was apparently swimming in the river when the current began carrying him away. His brother told police Hays was pulled beneath the surface, popped up a few times and then disappeared from sight.

Rio Rancho rescue teams were quickly joined by dozens of police and fire personnel up and down the Rio Grande, Rescue vehicles and personnel staged on nearly every river crossing in the county blocking one lane and backing up traffic during the afternoon commute.

Police searched along shores by hovercraft, on foot and by horseback with a helicopter scanning from the air.

Hays described him as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 120-140 pounds with short, light blond hair. He was dressed in a red T-shirt and black basketball shorts with a white stripe.

The search comes just as the Rio Grande nears one of its highest levels of the year.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/environment/environment_krqe_rio_rancho_rescuers_hunt_boy_caug ht_in_rio_grande_200905290020

[Amusedtdth]

So many drowning already, this is so sad.
I hope he makes it out ok.

[Faith]

Updated at: 05/29/2009 2:49 PM

Search continues for missing teen

Search crews in the metro area on Friday were using air, water and four-legged tools in an effort to find a teen who was swept away by the Rio Grande Thursday.

A state police dog team searching the banks of the river in the past day hit a scent trail along the river and officials were searching the area in the hope that 13-year-old Corbin Hayes may have pulled himself out of the water.

Hayes was playing in the Rio Grande near Rio Rancho Thursday when he was swept away. His 15-year-old brother tried to swim out to him but was unable to reach him.

The search, which began Thursday afternoon, continued overnight. Friday morning, hovercraft were buzzing the surface of the river while a helicopter searched from the air for about three hours.

“At this point, we don’t have a lot of new information,” said Rio Rancho police spokesman John Francis.

Francis says that Hayes’ family continues to be hopeful.

"They are still very distraught, very upset,” he said, “but they are hopeful, as are we. We’re giving them minute-to-minute updates.”

Officials say the mission continues to be a rescue operation.

The search Friday morning covered both banks of the river and spanned from Highway 550 to the north all the way south to Central Avenue.

Saturday's Great Race Down the Rio Grande has been postponed for the continued search, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez said Friday.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S953796.shtml?cat=520

[Faith]

Updated at: 05/30/2009 5:51 AM

Search for missing teen continues

The search for a 13-year-old Rio Rancho boy who was swept away by the Rio Grande continued until sunset on its second day.

At 7 p.m. Friday, searchers called off the search to find Corbin Hayes until daylight, mostly for the safety of the search crews.

They said the search will resume again at 6 Saturday morning.

Saturday's Great Race Down the Rio Grande was postponed for the continued search, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez said.

The flow of the Rio Grande has been tapered with assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers, searchers say.

John Francis with Rio Rancho Police said Friday, "With the assistance of the Army Corps of Engineers at Cochiti Dam, Cohiti Lake we were able to slow the water down a little bit... lower the level just a little bit."

By nighttime Saturday, the flow should be half what it was running earlier in the week, making it safer to do a more thorough search of the water.

Family friends say they are not giving up hope to find Corbin Hayes alive.

The teen hasn’t been seen since around 3 p.m. Thursday, but those who know him say he is a fighter and doesn't give up.

His coaches say he is an exceptional baseball, football and basketball player and they say he can survive any challenge because of his athletic ability.

Hayes was swimming in the river and swept away near the Riversedge 3 subdivision in Rio Rancho.

On Friday, 100 searchers were stationed along the river as far north as Highway 550 and south all the way to Isleta Pueblo looking for any sign of the boy.

A team of rescue dogs hit a scent trail Thursday, and a search of that area lasted all morning Friday, but has since come to a dead end.

Corbin's family friends and coaches say Hayes is a team leader who has never been the type to give up.

Coaches Rodney Anderson and Rebecca Bruere said, "He is a fighter, we all have to be fighters, because he's a fighter. If we had to pick one kid out of all the sports that we play to take this challenge on, he would be the one me and Rebecca would pick for sure. He is athletic, competitive, and never say quit."

The coaches also have 13-year-old boys and say it felt like their heart was ripped out when they found out Corbin was swept away.

As for Corbin's family, friends say they have been crying, joking and hugging a lot while thinking about the teen.

A meeting was set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the field house at Rio Rancho High School to collect donations of food and water to bring to the search teams.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S954399.shtml?cat=517

[Faith]

Search for boy yields no results as 3rd day begins

Posted at: 05/30/2009 7:04 PM

Rescue efforts doubled Saturday in the search for a missing Rio Rancho teen.

13-year-old Corbin Hayes was last seen Thursday when he was playing in the Rio Grande with friends, and was swept away by the water.

Police say search efforts were doubled on Saturday and dive teams were brought in to search the exact spot where Hayes was last seen.

Rio Rancho Police Spokesman John Francis said,"We've had airboats, hovercraft, swimmers, divers, in the water since early this morning from us."

Helicopters were flying as low as 20 feet above the water, hoping to find an aerial clue.

"As we were flying over in the state police we could see these kayakers and swimmers combing every inch of the river on both sides," New Mexico State Police Lieutenant told Eyewitness News 4 on Saturday.

The Army Corps of Engineers managed to lower the level of the water in the river at Cochiti Dam in hopes of aiding the search.

Francis said, "Since late last night the water has dropped over 18 inches so a lot more debris is starting to pop up along the shore line, along the river's edge."

State police along with Rio Rancho police say they will re-evaluate the situation right before dusk to decide what step to take next.

They say they will continue to search the river from U.S. 550 all the way to Isleta Pueblo.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S955342.shtml?cat=519

[TigressPen]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S955342.shtml?cat=519

Updated at: 05/30/2009 11:15 PM

The search for a teen last seen in the Rio Grande Thursday afternoon was suspended again at dusk on Saturday.

The search will begin again at daylight on Sunday.

Police say search efforts were doubled on Saturday and dive teams were brought in to search the exact spot where Hayes was last seen.

[TigressPen]

I pray they find Corbin. Thoughts and prayers go out for him and his family and friends.

[texanne]

There is nothing worse than the heartbreak from losing a child. My prayers for this boy and his family.

[AmyE]

Search For Missing 13-Year-Old Continues

The search for 13-year-old Corbin Hayes continues.

Hayes has been missing since Thursday when he fell into the Rio Grande in Rio Rancho.

Rescue crews focused on the Alameda Bridge where weather became a factor in the search late Sunday afternoon.

Searchers on the ground walked the banks while others swam in the river during the extensive search.

Hayes was last seen in a red T-shirt, blue shorts and black shoes.

"We've covered a lot of water and a lot of ground again today," said John Francis, with the Rio Rancho Police.

Crews rushed to the Sandia Pueblo early Sunday afternoon when a passerby thought they saw something significant.

"Someone thought they found a red something rather it turned out to be red plastic," said Francis.

One thing that is making the search a little easier today is the current.

The Army Corps of Engineers has slowed the river every day since Thursday to make it easier and safer for divers and for crews combing the river from the air.

"We're able to see more from the air, more driftwood, and items that are in the river itself," said Francis.

But 72 hours after he went missing, there is still no clue to where Corbin may be.

Family continues to stay close to where he went missing.

"They're holding up fairly well, they're still optimistic and hopeful as are we, but again, still distraught over not being able to see their son since Thursday," Francis said.

Crews continue to call it a search and rescue effort.

http://www.koat.com/news/19618047/detail.html

[Faith]

I can't imagine the parents pain. :sad0119: May God comfort them. I pray they find Corbin soon.

[Faith]

Police Suspend Search For Missing 13-Year-Old
Boy Fell Into Rio Grande In Rio Rancho


UPDATED: 12:43 pm MDT June 1, 2009

After four days of searching for Corbin Hayes, the 13-year-old boy who disappeared in the Rio Grande, crews have called off the rescue mission for now.

Police said the search for Corbin is the largest river search in decades.

Law enforcement, rescue agencies and about 200 people joined in on the effort to find Corbin, searching by air, in the water and on the river banks.

Saturday, the river levels were lowered, slowing the current down enough for divers to get in. The lower water levels made it easier for crews to search little islands that appear in the river.

"Our swimmers launched a boat from here and north of the point where Corbin was last seen," said John Francis with Rio Rancho Police. "We're going to take it down to the sticks there, we'll check that strainer really well."

Searchers on Sunday looked along a 10-mile stretch of the river from U.S. 550 south to Albuquerque. Grid searches took place in the river to make sure every square foot of the river was searched, and hovercrafts combed the top of the river with dogs sniffing through the water for clues.

Police believe that, for now, they have exhausted all the options. They say they will reevaluate the situation in a couple of days, depending if anything is discovered along the river.

http://www.koat.com/news/19618047/detail.html

[Roamer]

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/central/local_krqe_rio_rancho_search_suspended_for_teen_lo st_in_river_200905312123

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) - Although state police have called off the search for a 13-year-old boy who went missing in the Rio Grande on Thursday, family and friends are continuing to comb the river for clues.
State and Rio Rancho police on Sunday night suspended the search for Corbin Hayes "for at least a couple of days until we can reevaluate and see if anything transpires or does not transpire," said Officer John Francis with Rio Rancho police. "At that time we may call off the entire mission or we may extend it again."
Hayes disappeared Thursday while swimming in the river in Rio Rancho, and officials scoured 10 miles of the river from Highway 550 to Candelaria Road in Albuquerque.
While officials suspended the search at 6 p.m. Sunday, dozens of family members and friends are continuing the search on their own.
Rebecca Bruere, a family friend, said she and the boy's parents haven't left the site since he went missing. They have set up camp and turned search lights on in case the teen were to wander home on his own.
"We have friends, brothers, people that don't know the family, people just on the river banks looking for anything, eyes everywhere," she said.
Among the searchers are Hayes' teammates from his football, basketball and baseball teams.
The family is also asking bikers, walkers and kayakers along the Rio Grande to keep an eye out for the boy.

[Nut44x4]

Body found in Rio Grande
Live Video: Body found in river
Authorities are holding a news conference about the recovery of a boy's body in the Rio Grande.

Searchers on Tuesday recovered a body from the Rio Grande down river from where a 13-year-old boy went missing Thursday.

Searchers have been combing the area for 13-year-old Corbin Hayes--a boy who was swept away in the river while swimming with friends last week. State police say they have found a body about 8 miles down river from where the boys was last seen.

A river rescue team appeared to have found something caught in the brush near the bank of the river before 3 p.m. Tuesday. There is no confirmation, however, as to the nature of the discovery.

After a one day hiatus, the search resumed for the boy Tuesday morning. The search, coordinated by the state police, had been halted Sunday after four days spent looking for Hayes, but Mayor Martin Chavez announced Monday that Albuquerque police and firefighters would resume the search.

Since then, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has ordered the state police to resume the search as well. Hayes had been playing with friends in the Rio Grande near Rivers Edge III subdivision in Rio Rancho last Thursday when he slipped beneath the water.

"We are gonna try and cover every inch from the Alameda Bridge here all the way south to Isleta," said Albuquerque Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Castro.

"I have to be a realist," he added. "I want to be optimistic, I want to find Corbin alive and send him home, but I think with the time that's passed and all that we've seen and as many people as we've had out, this may be more of a recovery operation."

A press conference is scheduled for shortly after 3:00 p.m. Stay with KOB.com and Eyewitness News 4 for the latest.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S959185.shtml?cat=517

[Faith]

NM officers recover body of missing teen

Associated Press - June 2, 2009 6:25 PM ET

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Authorities have recovered the body of a Rio Rancho teenager who was feared drowned in the Rio Grande.

State police and officials with the Albuquerque police and fire departments announced Tuesday afternoon that the body of 13-year-old Corbin Hayes was found caught in a tree in the river just north of the Alameda Bridge.

Rio Rancho police spokesman John Francis says a woman who was walking with her children spotted the body.

Authorities say Hayes was swept away in the Rio Grande in Rio Rancho on Thursday.

Divers, hovercraft, helicopters and police dogs were used to try to locate Hayes but the search was called off late Sunday after efforts to find the boy were unsuccessful. The search resumed Tuesday morning.

http://www.kdbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10466948&nav=menu608_2_3

[Faith]

Corbin was identified by the clothes he was wearing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS045s2PcB8&feature=player_embedded

[Faith]

My thoughts and prayers are with Corbin's family.

RIP Corbin :1222423: