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A 6-year-old boy is missing, and his mother has died after being swept into the Merrimack River, authorities said.
Amesbury Fire received a report that a family of six, comprising of a mother, father and their four children, were in distress after swimming in the Merrimack River just after 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, Newburyport Police said.
The mother reportedly tried saving two of her children after they were swept under the water off Deer Island, police said.
A nearby boat came to help the mother hoist a seven-year-old girl on board but she was unable to hoist herself up, police said. At that point, she went underwater and did not resurface.
The mother was later pulled from the water unresponsive and not breathing. She was eventually taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.
Her identify has yet to be released. The rest of the family was taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, NBC Boston reports.
After a multi-department search spanning 228 square miles for 69 hours, the US Coast Guard suspended the search for the boy. However, Massachusetts State Police continued the search. Anyone with information regarding the case they are asked to contact police at 617-223-3201.
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