An 8-year-old boy drowned Saturday on the St. Francis River, according to authorities.
The child was reported missing around 4 p.m. Saturday, the Clay County, Arkansas, sheriff’s department reported.
The child was identified as Layton Boyster, a student at Piggott Elementary School.
“(The) boy was swimming with some friends in the St. Francis River at what is locally known as Cottonwood Point at St. Francis,” Sheriff Ronnie Cole shared. “They stated the boy had gone under the water and hadn’t come back up.”
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department, Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Game and Fish Officers, Missouri Department of Conservation Officers, Arkansas State Police, Clay County Emergency Task Force, and Clay County Coroner responded, Cole said.
“At approximately 8:26 p.m. the young child was found,” Cole said.
The Sheriff’s Department thanked everyone that assisted during the search, as well as One MOAR Last Chance for a cooler full of water and Gatorade and for offering any other assistance law enforcement might need.