OMAHA, Neb — On Thursday night, Officer Phillip Anson from the Omaha Police Department said that the 7-year-old who went missing while playing near the Missouri River has been found dead.
According to Anson, as search crews were wrapping up for the night, a fisher told them they had spotted a child's item nearby. The crews went to the area and found the child's body near the 680 bridge.
BREAKING: 7-year-old Abi Gurung's body has been found. Follow @3NewsNowOmaha and @JessikaEidsonTV for the latest on this developing story. pic.twitter.com/tSDR6QxFda
— Courtney Johns (@CourtneyJohnsTV) August 6, 2021
Abi Gurung disappeared before 6 p.m. on Tuesday when police were dispatched to N.P. Dodge Park. Abi's uncle told 3 News Now that the boy did not know how to swim. The uncle confirmed that he was playing near the water with five other children when he went missing.
Yellow police tape was spotted near the river on Thursday evening as EMS responders were leaving the area.
We’ve learned that the body of Abi Gurung was found tonight. It was located under the 680 bridge by search teams after a fisher spotted a child’s item nearby.
— Jessika Eidson KMTV (@JessikaEidsonTV) August 6, 2021
Foul play is not suspected. https://t.co/CdyXJsfn6q
A large group of friends and family of the child is here tonight. Abi’s uncle tells us the main concern for the family is the condition of the body.
— Jessika Eidson KMTV (@JessikaEidsonTV) August 6, 2021
3 News Now reporter Jessika Eidson is on the scene. Watch the live update from Omaha police below or on our Facebook page.
Abi's uncle Bhim Guring told us that the family wanted to be able to see the body on Thursday night. He said the family is Buddhist and it is traditional that a monk say a prayer over the body when it is found.
Guring said police escorted a monk and Abi's mother to the body as friends and family gathered nearby.
Guring added that their family has faced many tragedies. Abi's mother has only one child still living now with Abi gone, having lost her older son who was also just 7 years old many years ago to a kidney issue.
The family also recently lost their grandmother.
The family is eager to have the body of the young boy released to them, so they can begin funeral proceeding which last 7-14 days.
READ MORE: Authorities looking for missing boy near N.P. Dodge Park
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