The search for two little boys, who went missing in Townsville overnight, has come to a tragic end as police confirm they’ve found their bodies.
Brothers Jhulio and Barak Eatts were found in the Ross River early this morning, not far from Cranbrook Park where the boys would often play.
In a statement, Queensland Police said it had “sadly located the bodies of the two boys” and extended condolences to the family.
The boys’ mother Leeann Eatts spent the night searching for her babies, taking to Facebook a handful of times to beg for help.
“F**k me man, my 2 babies have been missing since 5.45. I got eight police cars at my house and everyone on foot looking for them please keep a close eye out for them on the streets near Stockland Cranbrook and surrounding suburbs freaking rite (sic) out now,” she wrote.
“They only five and three. Both have shorts no shirt or shoes. They just walked off. Please help Townsville.”
Just before 1am this morning, Ms Eatts took to Facebook again, thanking everyone for their help and said she was still searching with police.
“I am so tired and empty,” she wrote.
In a third post, the mum implored anyone driving around Cranbrook to take the time and search.
“They will be cold, hungry and tired now,” she wrote.
In her fourth and final post, written an hour before the boys were found in the river, the mum-of-three asked her friends to change their profile pictures to a photo of her sons.
“Please send these photos viral. I thank all who has put themselves out to help find these two wonderful boys,” she said.
The boys’ bodies were found shortly before 6am this morning. It’s understood the boys might’ve been swimming in the Ross River before getting into trouble.
“Where they’d been jumping in swimming, it’s quite deep and it’s got a steep bank and there are weeds and other debris in that area,” Sergeant Ian Wilkie told Sunrise.
“They looked like they were having fun and it’s turned to tragedy.”
“We’ve conducted a search and unfortunately tragically for the family involved and the boys, we located both of those boys deceased near each other.
“It is certainly distressing for us and we can only imagine what the families are going through and our hearts and thoughts go out to them. The grief I can imagine would be unbearable for them.”
Queensland Police issued an emergency alert for the two Townsville brothers late last night, asking the entire city to help them find the three and five-year-old boys.
Police issued the Amber Alert just before midnight last night, six hours after the boys were last seen in the Townsville suburb of Cranbrook leaving their home on Brett St.
CCTV from a neighbouring house caught the two boys walking down the street around 5.30pm yesterday with the older boy wearing a local school shirt that was red with white sleeves and the other wearing blue shirts with no shirt.
Both boys were described as Aboriginal.
The boys were filmed walking to their favourite park just before 4.30pm before disappearing from view.
“The boys apparently are regular visitors to the park but they haven’t come home at their usual time so family started looking for them,” Townsville Police District Duty Officer Senior Sergeant Ian Wilkie told reporters.
“When they were unsuccessful they contacted police.”
The police helicopter spent the night searching while officers on motorbikes and on foot searched the nearby Ross River and neighbouring suburbs. Water Police also joined the search down the river.
Sen-Sergeant Wilkie thanked the community for helping with the search but said “unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be”.
“We were hearing stories of dozens and dozens of people searching in various areas, going and buying batteries for torches,” he said.
“We do thank them for their assistance in this butunfortunately it wasn’t to be.”
In the Amber Alert issued, police urged residents from Condon to Rosslea along the river to check their backyards and be on the lookout for the boys.
Yesterday Sen-Sargeant Wilkie said police, as well as SES and any local volunteers, would spend the night conducting a “methodical search”.
“That will continue until we are satisfied those areas have been covered,” he said.
“If the boys aren’t located tonight that search will continue for as long as required.”
“We do believe that the boys, given their age, are quite possibly frightened and that they are small, (and) they are curled up somewhere.
“Certainly we are looking at every aspect of it but we are hopeful that they will be found overnight or early (Tuesday).”
More than a hundred Townsville residents, fearing for the boys’ safety, joined the search last night.
One local told the Townsville Bulletinshe hadn’t been able to sleep knowing they were out there alone.
“I’ve been out here for about an hour and a half,” one woman told the publication.
“Police came and knocked on my door and asked us if we had seen any children and could they check the perimeter of the house.
“They showed us photos of the children — a three and a five-year-old.
“Being a grandmother I have a five-year-old grandson. I couldn’t go to bed and sleep on it so I got out and helped.”
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