Search crews in Arizona found a body Friday that was identified as a 6-year-old girl who was swept away in floodwaters two weeks ago, authorities said.
The Gila County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Friday they had recovered the body of Willa Rawlings. The girl was recovered from an area on the north side of Roosevelt Lake near Tonto Creek, KSAZ reported.
The girl’s family members were notified, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Rawlings was one of nine family members traveling in an oversized, military-style truck Nov. 29 when they got stuck in the raging waters of Tonto Creek, authorities said.
Willa’s parents, Daniel and Lacey Rawlings, escaped from the truck. However, the bodies of their son, Colby Rawlings, and niece, Austin Rawlings, were found the next day, about 1,000 yards from the failed crossing.
Willa's grandmother, Trudy Rawlings, released a statement Friday to KTVK, expressing relief and gratitude that the family could have closure.
“We express love and gratitude for volunteers who gave up their time to find her,” Trudy Rawlings said. We believe in the power of prayer. We prayed that we would be at peace.”
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