12-Year-Old Girl Dies After Floodwaters Sweep Her Car Into Storm Drain in Missouri: 'It's Hard'

Aaleya Carter.Photo: Facebook

A 12-year-old girl on her way home from celebrating her birthday with her family was killed after floodwaters swept her away and into a storm drain in Missouri.

Wheetley said that the driver and two other children were able to safely exit the car, but when Aaleya did, she was caught in the current and swept into the drain, CBS affiliateKMOVreported. She was later found dead in Coldwater Creek.

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“In my knowledge and years of experience, I’ve never seen a situation unfold this way,” Wheetley told the outlet. “It’s just a tragedy that a child has lost their life as a result.”

“They had just left the movies and the water picked up the car and pushed it to the side to where it was hard for them to get out, and she didn’t know there was a drain,” Carter said. “She went up under the drain.”

The girl’s family returned to the scene where her body was found on Sunday to pay tribute to her with the release of silver and pink balloons, her favorite colors, according toKMOV.

“I don’t even know. I’m lost. I don’t know what to say,” her mother Bridgette Carter told the outlet.

Added aunt Tracey Dean: “She loved her momma beyond measures. So it’s going to be hard. It’s hard not only for her but her siblings and her family. So we just want everybody to pray.”

Aaleya’s family has since arranged aGoFundMe pageto help cover funeral expenses.

source: people.com