UNION COUNTY, NC (AP) – A North Carolina sheriff’s office says it has recovered the body of a 1-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters after his mother lost her grip on him.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office identified the boy on its Facebook page Monday as Kaiden Lee-Welch.
Spokesman Tony Underwood said a woman and her child were on their way to visit relatives when she drove past some barricades on N.C. Highway 218 in northern Union County. The woman later told authorities someone had pushed the barricades to the side a little, making her think it was OK to go through.
The woman’s car was swept off the road by the floodwaters, pinning it against a group of trees. She was able to free 1-year-old Kaiden Lee-Welch from his car seat and escape. But the waters were deep, and Underwood said the woman lost her grip and her son was swept away.