NAMPA, Idaho, Aug. 2, 3017 (Gephardt Daily) — A frantic search for a toddler who went missing Monday from his yard, in Nampa, Idaho, came to a sad end on Wednesday morning.
The body of the 18-month old boy, Mason Cunningham, was found at about 9 a.m. in Ten Mile Canal, about a four miles downstream from his home. Nampa is about 21 miles west of Boise.
Officials believe that when a relative watching the boy went in the house to turn on sprinklers, the toddler fell into the canal, full of swift-moving water. There is no barrier between the family’s front yard and the canal.
Capt. Bill Adams, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, said when Mason’s father discovered he was missing, he jumped into the canal to look for his son, and was quickly swept several blocks downstream before he could be pulled out.
Officers, volunteers and dogs searched for the boy into the evening and all day Tuesday, Adams said.
“It’s real easy to get into those canals, the canal banks are generally steep and overgrown, and especially somebody 18-months old, there’s obviously no way they’re going to get out of a canal,” Adams said.
“Just be aware of your surroundings and if you do live close to a canal, put up a fence or some sort of barrier to keep your children or pets away from the canal so that they don’t end up in them.”
To see the sheriff department’s news conference, click on this link to KTVB.com.
