‘It is heartbreaking’: Boise search crews find 5-year-old boy’s body in canal
The body of a 5-year-old Boise boy who went missing during his 5th birthday party late Monday afternoon was found Tuesday in a nearby canal.
A “large-scale search effort” that began Monday night resulted in locating Matthew Glynn just before noon, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said at a 1 p.m. press conference.
“Sad news to share with you at this time,” Winegar said. “About an hour and a half ago, members of the search crew have found Matthew’s body. ... We believe it to be Matthew.”
On Wednesday, the Ada County Coroner’s Office released a report confirming that it was Matthew, listing the cause of death as drowning.
Winegar said Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue found the body in one of the two canals that run through the area around his home near West State and Alamosa streets. He said he wasn’t sure whether it was the Boise Valley or Farmers Union canal, but the coroner’s report indicated that Matthew was found in the Farmers Union Canal.
“It is heartbreaking to have such a conclusion to this effort when we had hope to find Matthew alive,” Winegar said.
Winegar said there were no signs of foul play and that the boy’s death appeared to be just “a tragic accident.” The coroner listed it as an accidental death.
Search efforts were the highest priority for law enforcement
Matthew disappeared from his Northwest Boise home after 5 p.m. and searches were underway by 6 p.m., according to the Boise Police Department.
“This is one of the — if not the — highest priority in the city right now,” Winegar said Tuesday morning. “We have activated virtually every personnel member that we can.”
Winegar said during a Tuesday morning press conference that he remained hopeful in the search, but that turned out to be just 30 minutes or so before he received the call that Matthew’s body had been found. Matthew’s mother was “overwhelmed and praying and hoping for the safe recovery of Matthew, as are we all,” Winegar said then.
The police chief, who is retiring in September, took a noticeably more somber tone early in the afternoon.
“Everyone involved is distraught,” Winegar said after reporting that the body was found. “It’s a very difficult time for (the family), so we would certainly ask for privacy for them at this point. “
Boise victim-witness coordinators were assisting the family, Winegar said.
Police initially said Matthew walked away from his home. Authorities said that seemed the most likely scenario even though they didn’t know exactly what happened.
A child abduction response team was activated, but Winegar clarified that it was a precaution because there were not “any signs of foul play.”
Matthew was last seen wearing Batman pajamas and no shoes. The boy was nonverbal and autistic, and he was “drawn to water,” Winegar said.
Winegar said the searches continued overnight and through Tuesday with help from other law enforcement agencies, the Boise Fire Department and Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue. A dive team conducted a “risky operation” that included snorkeling through canals until 10 p.m. Monday, when darkness forced them to stop.
“Sadly, this is not the outcome we were all hoping for. Our hearts go out to Matthew’s family, and we extend our deepest condolences during this incredibly difficult time,” Boise Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said in a news release.
Members of the Boise Fire Department walked up and down the canals playing “Wheels on the Bus,” hoping to draw out Matthew with his favorite song. Agencies also used drones, tracking dogs, ATVs and UTVs in their searches.
Responders went door to door as part of the effort, asking to search backyards. Residents and businesses in the area were asked to check the area and any cameras for clues to what happened.
“Every resource has been engaged in this search,” Winegar said.
A Code Red alert was sent to everyone within a 5-mile radius of Matthew’s home, reaching about 69,000 people Monday night, Winegar said. That alert radius was expanded Tuesday to 8 miles.
The Boise Police Department asked Ada County residents to sign up on the Ada County Sheriff’s Office website for Code Red alerts to be notified during future emergencies.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 1:20 PM.
