The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police believe that the 6-year-old boy who disappeared on Barra da Tijuca beach, in Rio de Janeiro, last Thursday (4) may have been a victim of drowning.
One of the witnesses interviewed by the Whereabouts Discovery Police Station (DDPA) reported that he saw Edson Davi da Silva Almeida enter the sea three times while playing football with another child on the afternoon he disappeared.
In another statement to investigators, a person reported that the child had asked to borrow a board to get into the water. The request, however, was not granted, because the sea was rough.
A work colleague of the boy's father said he also told him to get out of the water because of the sea conditions. Furthermore, according to the police, the father himself caught Edson Davi's attention.
In conversation with the CNN the boy's father, Edson dos Santos Almeida said, once again, that he does not believe in the drowning hypothesis.
“Everyone knows him here [na praia] and you know he doesn't like water. He was at the edge of the sea, but he didn't go into the water. He’s always playing in the sand,” he said.
Still according to the merchant, who has not been able to return to his activities since his son disappeared, the searches cannot stop on dry land either. “We have to search on the ground, look for the cameras… I received a call now that the police received all the cameras in Barra. Need to follow the route [feito naquela tarde]”, he opined.
The boy was on the beach with his father, who has a tent on the sand, when he disappeared. The child's mother had taken her younger brother, aged 2, to a doctor's appointment. Images from waterfront monitoring cameras released by the police showed Edson Davi walking alone along the promenade for around 100 meters.
At another time, the boy is near the tables of a kiosk when a man, identified as someone who works in the region and who was known to the family, approaches. They talk for a few moments and then return to the sand. According to the DDPA, after that moment there are no more images of the child on the sidewalk.
The investigation is ongoing and, although there is no evidence that the child left the sand, no line of investigation has been ruled out. So far, the Civil Police have no suspects, as the recordings show the child alone almost all the time.
Investigators also investigated all reports of similar children and none proved to be true. Police from other units of the federation are collaborating on this case. The search for Edson Davi continues and has the support of the Aeropolice Service and the Fire Department.
Since the early hours of Friday (5), the military has been searching for the child along the entire beachfront of Barra da Tijuca, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in Guaratiba and Sepetiba.
Around 40 firefighters are taking part in the searches, including lifeguards and divers. They have the support of four vehicles, as well as a helicopter, drone, and four vessels, including inflatable boats and watercraft, as well as a Side Scan sonar.
The searches are carried out in an area of 18 kilometers and are carried out by land, water and air.
“The RJ Fire Department maintains permanent contact, providing full support to the family. All information provided is used and influences the measures taken, in order to make searches more efficient”, says the corporation.
Source: CNN Brasil
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