The desperate search for a missing girl in Lowell has come to a tragic end. Seven-year-old Anna Mburu’s body was found in the Merrimack River Monday.
“We are all heartbroken to be here this afternoon to report that it appears that the end of the search has come with the recovery of a body of a young child preliminarily identified as 7-year-old Anna Mburu,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a news conference.
Ryan said Anna was found in the river near the Trull Brook Golf Course in Tewksbury at about noon.
Ryan said using side-scan sonar, environmental police were able to detect an image that was believed to be Anna.
Dive teams searched the river, which is 4 to 6 feet higher than usual due to recent rains and moving quickly. Anna was located 15 to 20 yards from shore. She was in the water 8 to 9 feet deep.
“As you can imagine, Anna’s family is now dealing with an unimaginable loss,” Ryan said. “While they are also deeply grateful, they have requested privacy during these next few difficult days.”
Investigators said Anna, who had autism and was nonverbal, was last seen riding her bike around 2 p.m. Sunday in the Belvedere section of Lowell near East Merrimack Street and River Road.
Her family called police Monday after she went missing from the family’s driveway. A massive search was launched involving several police departments with the community joining in.
Earlier Tuesday, police asked neighbors to check their property and any surveillance video cameras they may have for signs of her.
“She’s a sweet little girl. She’s funny. She likes art. She likes to paint. She loves to paint. I’m just thinking about the family and how they must be feeling right now,” said Anna’s art teacher, Lisa Labrecque, who joined the search Monday morning.
The chief medical examiner will determine the cause of death. Foul play is not suspected. The investigation is still ongoing.
“We have no reason to believe that any conduct on the part of anyone led to this, and anyone who has children knows that children can disappear in seconds,” Ryan said.
St. Michael Parish held a vigil for Anna and her family Tuesday night in Lowell. “This is what we do. We support our family in a time of need,” said Pauline Minch of St. Michael School.
And that’s what this city did when the seven-year-old was reported missing Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of strangers showed up with flashlights to look for the missing girl.
“As you know we had an incredible response. Lowell does an amazing job of responding. We had literally hundreds of people come out,” Ryan said.
Including Nina Silva who teaches at St. Michael’s where Anna’s siblings are students. “I just couldn’t imagine them not finding their sister, so we went out to look,” Silva said.
The heartbreaking ending hit close to home for parents in this community.
“I am a mom of a nonverbal child; I mean it kind of hits close to home here, you know? Just seeing it on the news and waking up this morning and seeing that she still wasn’t found was heartbreaking. I want to cry because I feel like it’s my kid,” said Tareena Pagan.
“As a father of two you know, how can you describe that? You really can’t so our heart will continue to go out to the family,” said Lowell City Manager Tom Golden.
