Search for 6-year-old Pennsylvania girl swept away in creek now a recovery mission

A search for a 6-year-old girl who fell into a creek in Chester, Pennsylvania, and was swept away in the rushing water on Saturday evening has shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission, officials said Sunday.

The child fell into the rain-swollen Chester Creek around 7 p.m. after she was believed to have slipped in the mud near the water while playing with another girl, Chester Fire Department officials said. 

Multiple fire companies immediately launched a search for the next 3 1/2 hours while the U.S. Coast Guard continued overnight. 

Chester Fire Commissioner John-Paul Shirley said during a press conference Sunday afternoon that rescuers were always "looking for that miracle" but that a rescue now appeared unlikely after so many hours. 

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The 6-year-old girl was believed to have been playing near the creek when she slipped in the mud and fell in, according to authorities. (FOX29 Philadelphia WTXF)

"We were always hopeful that we could find something, now there's just without a doubt, once we had the sunlight on our side, and we're able to do a much more thorough search, that it wasn't going to be a rescue, it was going to be a recovery," Shirley said. 

The 6-year-old girl was later identified by news outlets as Lin’ajah Brooker. (Provided by family)

The 6-year-old girl was later identified as Lin’ajah Brooker, FOX29 Philadelphia reported. 

Nearly 3 inches of rain was reported in the area Saturday as a storm moved across the Northeast, according to Fox Weather.

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Shirley said they believe the girl could have been swept from the creek to the mouth of the Delaware River in just minutes.

The fast-flowing Chester Creek could have swept the child to the mouth of the Delaware River in just minutes, officials said. (FOX29 Philadelphia WTXF)

"She might have already been in the Delaware when we were just getting on scene," he said.

The search and rescue mission for the child shifted to a recovery on Sunday. (FOX29 Philadelphia WTXF)

Chester Mayor Stefan Roots called it an "extremely sad day" for the community.

"Our wish today is that with our boats, out with our drones out, with the Coast Guard out that we can discover the body and bring closure very quickly," Roots said.

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Chester is a city about 18 miles southwest of downtown Philadelphia.