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Wisconsin boy found dead in river a day after going missing

Body of missing boy found in river in Wisconsin
Body of missing boy found in river in Wisconsin 00:23

TWO RIVERS, Wis. (CBS) -- A 7-year-old boy with autism has been found dead in a river in Wisconsin, a day after he went missing while playing outside.

Two Rivers, Wisconsin, police said they were called on Saturday for a missing child on Saturday. Jacob Baer, who had autism, was playing outside in Veteran's Park along the West Twin River when his parents lost sight of him, police said.

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Jacob Baer Two Rivers police

Police launched a search and put out a missing and engendered alert. On Saturday night, several items belonging to Jacob were found in the West Twin River, police said.

On Sunday morning, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources found a location in about 5 or 6 feet of water where Jacob's body might have been. Jacob's body was indeed recovered and positively identified soon afterward.

"This tragic event is a reminder of how dangerous the ice can be on our waterways, especially this time of year when it is very thin," Two Rivers police Capt. Andrew Raatz said in a news release. "Please stay off the ice and keep your children safe by monitoring them closely when around any waterway."

Two Rivers is located on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Manitowoc County—about 7 miles north and east of Manitowoc, and about 92 miles north of Milwaukee.

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