The lifeless bodies of two missing boys from New York City have been recovered from separate local rivers.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) said that Alfa Barrie, 11, and Garrett Warren, 13, who were last seen together in Harlem on May 12, had gone missing. Alfa was reported missing on the morning of May 14, while Garrett’s disappearance was reported on the afternoon of May 15. Detectives connected the two cases after receiving the report about Garrett.
The NYPD Harbor Unit made the grim discoveries several days apart in different bodies of water on opposite sides of Manhattan. On Thursday, Garrett’s body was found near the Madison Avenue Bridge in the Harlem River, close to where the boys were last seen on surveillance cameras. Alfa’s body was recovered on Saturday, approximately two miles away in the Hudson River around 102nd Street and Riverside Drive.
Witnesses recall seeing the two friends at a fish market on 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem on the evening of May 12, and security footage confirmed their presence at the location around 6:00 pm, according to the NYPD. Additional footage captured the boys leaving one of their homes before they were seen at the Harlem intersection.
A teenage witness observed Alfa and Garrett playing near the river’s edge when an unfortunate incident occurred. According to CNN, one boy pushed the other, which resulted in both boys falling into the water. The witness did not see them resurface or escape. The teenager immediately informed an adult, who dialed 911.
The medical examiner’s office determined that Garrett’s cause of death was accidental drowning. However, the cause and manner of Alfa’s death are still under investigation. Authorities have stated that no signs of trauma were found, and they do not suspect foul play.
Alfa’s sister disclosed that although the boys attended different schools, they were close friends in the neighborhood. Alfa was a sixth-grader at Democracy Prep in Harlem.
