MARRERO, La. (WGNO)– It has been six days since the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and volunteers began searching a 500-foot section of a canal at Jean Lafitte National Park in search of 4-year old Ellis Baudean of Marrero.
According to authorities, Baudean fell into the water in one of the canals at the National Park on Thursday. JPSO built a clay dam along with B&S Equipment and they started draining the canal. Last night the clay dam broke.
“We knew this dam wasn’t an Army Corps of Engineers project,” Sheriff Joseph Lopinto with the JPSO said. He went on to say, “I think we accomplished a lot more than I would’ve ever expected.”
Before the dam broke, Sheriff Jospeh Lopinto said they were able to use sonar equipment and even check alligator dens, yet still no sign of the missing boy.
“Our job is to put the pieces together and figure out the whole picture. This is one that I would’ve loved to put all the pieces together to find the child,” Sheriff Lopinto said.
Today crews cleared up the National Park and got everything back to normal.
“We’ve exhausted a lot of options. Our investigation goes where it leads us, if the naysayers say the body is not in here, prove me wrong. We will continue the investigation as much as we can,” the Sheriff said.
Even though there is no real closure, a memorial sits at the site remembering Eills—a boy who the community truly proved how through all their hard work how much they care about him.
They will no longer be doing an active underwater search and they won’t be deploying any more divers or boats.
A family friend said that Ellis loved to play with toilet paper and Kleenex. They also said he was such a happy-go-lucky child who loved Mickey Mouse and the movie, “Frozen.”