Crime & Safety
Missing GA Boy Found 200 Feet Inside Sewer Drain Rescued
An officer crawled 200 feet into a sewer drain to retrieve a missing child, while other officers guided them both to safety in Gwinnett.
SUWANEE, GA — Police rescued a missing 5-year-old boy who wandered from a playground at Peachtree Ridge Park and was found inside a nearby sewer drain Monday in Suwanee, officers said Wednesday.
Body camera footage by Gwinnett County Police appeared to show officers searching for the boy.
About 40 minutes into their hunt, police said an officer noticed a raised fence surrounding a retention pond. In the body camera video, the officer is heard saying the fence is about 5 feet off the ground — maybe 10.
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Police said the officer "followed his instinct" by going under the fence to check a sewer drain in a nearby neighborhood.
In the video, the family can be heard telling officers names to which the boy would respond. While checking the drain, officers call out for the boy using the names, and police said they received a response.
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By then, police said another officer arrived and crawled into the sewer to find the boy about 200 feet into the drain. While the officer went into the sewer, police said another officer found the closest drain hole cover and guided them to his location.
The boy was safely rescued and had no injuries, police said.
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