Bodies of 2 children found after floodwaters recede

SMITHFIELD, N.C. (AP) — Authorities have recovered the body of a 4-year-old boy who had been swept away in floodwaters in North Carolina.

The Raleigh News & Observer reported Thursday that the boy’s body was found about 30 yards from where the body of his 5-year-old sister was found on Wednesday.

The children were swept away late Monday after their mother’s car slid into fast-moving water in a creek near the Neuse River.

Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said the boy, Abraham Martinez Jr., was carried about a quarter mile from the washed-out section of Galilee Road. Rescuers had tried to pull the boy to safety in a swift boat after the wreck, but the boat capsized.

Abraham’s older sister, Alexa, was trapped inside the vehicle and floated out of sight. Their mother, Vanessa Castro, survived.

The brother and sister were discovered a quarter-mile from where the car left the road in Smithfield. Bizzell said the creek’s water had receded, revealing their bodies.