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As the search for 9-month-old Conrad Sheils and his sister 2-year-old Matilda enters day three, Upper Makefield police say they are shutting down roads in the area to ease their efforts. For Tuesday, July 18:
- Taylorsville Road is closed from Rt. 532 to Mt. Eyre Road.
- Mt. Eyre Road is closed at Walker Road.
- Rt. 532 is closed from Wrightstown Road to Meadowview Drive.
- River Road is closed from Embarcation Drive to Mt. Eyre Road.
In Lower Makefield, Taylorsville Road remains closed from Mt. Eyre to Rt. 295 for storm damage mitigation, UMPD noted.
No through traffic will be permitted on the affected streets, police said. Only drivers and pedestrians who live in the search zone will be allowed to pass.
Authorities also said they are not seeking volunteers to aid in the search, but thanked residents for their "willingness to help."
Washington Crossing United Methodist Church, 1895 Wrightstown Road, has served as temporary command post for the rescue effort since the storm on Sunday, the department said.
The church is now planning to hold a prayer vigil for the victims at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 20. As of Tuesday, five people are known to have died in the flash flooding. They are:
- Enzo Depiero, a 78-year-old man from Newtown
- Susan Barnhart, a 53-year-old woman from Titusville, NJ
- Yuko Love, a 64-year-old woman from Newtown
- Linda Depiero, a 74-year-old woman from Newtown.
- Katheryn Seley, a 32-year-old woman from Charleston, South Carolina
Seley, her fiance Jim Sheils, and their three children were in the area visiting family when the storm struck, Daily Voice has reported.
"They were on their way to a barbecue when their vehicles got caught in the flash flood on Rt. 532," authorities said.
Jim and their 4-year-old son managed to escape the waters while Katie, her mother Dahlia, and Conrad and Matilda were swept away, police have said. Dahlia was saved and treated at an area hospital while Katheryn was found dead by first responders on Sunday.
Conrad and Matilda have not been seen since.
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