Hope fades for missing teen
Update: Counseling and support will be available today for Oswego youths in the aftermath of the disappearance of 18-year-old Robert Funston in the Fox River.
Funston, of Montgomery, was swimming with friends when a strong current pulled him under on Sunday afternoon. Recovery efforts continued Tuesday, and counselors, social workers and staff will be on hand from noon to 2 p.m. daily through Friday at Oswego High School on Route71 for those who wish to talk.
(Marianne Mather/Staff Photographer)
(Marianne Mather/Staff Photographer)
(Marianne Mather/Staff Photographer)
"We will be handing out fliers at the sight (of the accident) telling students to come gather and talk," said the Oswego School District’s Kristine Liptrot.
Students should enter through door 31 and head to the Community Room where they can receive counseling.
For more information visit the district Web site at http://www.oswego308.org/
OSWEGO -- The search for an 18-year-old Montgomery man who disappeared Sunday afternoon in the Fox River is now considered a recovery effort, fire officials said Monday evening, calling the chance for survival in the fast-moving water "minimal at best."
About 40 members of the Oswego, Aurora, Bristol/Kendall and Montgomery fire departments, the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Conservation Police have been searching for Robert Funston since he disappeared below the surface of the water while swimming with four other friends, Oswego Battalion Chief Bill Perkins said. Alcohol is not considered a factor in the accident.
Perkins said the teens told officials they searched for their friend for about 45 minutes after he slipped under the surface of the water, sometime around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, before calling 911.
Rescuers have used boats, a small aircraft and sonar, concentrating their search around the area of the river near Route 34 where Funston was last seen. The Aurora Fire Department sent one diver into the water Monday afternoon, but no further diving efforts are planned because of the swift river current, Assistant Fire Chief John Lehman said.
Current powerful
The search effort created a surreal scene Monday in downtown Oswego as the Washington Street bridge became the divide between summer fun and summer tragedy. On one side, families picnicked in Hudson Crossing Park, sharing blankets and sandwiches. But just yards away, rescue boats raced along the river as family, friends and residents gathered around the scene.
"For teenagers, Oswego is cursed," said Shane Gauden, 14, who will be a freshman at Oswego High School next year. Gauden and his friends admitted to wading in the swollen river near the bridge before, but never heading in "that deep."
"People underestimate the power of water," he said.
"When I was in before, it wasn't even going fast and it was still strong," Jack Smith, 14, added. Gauden, Smith and Boyer Kornfeind were on their bikes watching Monday's scene unfold -- just as hundreds of residents witnessed the scene well into Sunday evening, before darkness prompted a halt to the search.
Kathy Slamans of Oswego said she heard about the accident, but didn't need to be on the scene Sunday to "know its heartbreak."
"(The Fox River) doesn't look like much," she said Monday while strolling across the bridge. "But it's very strong. We always knew as kids not to go in it. Teens these days don't have that knowledge."
Warnings issued
An employee of a nearby car dealership said teens, packing cold water and a tire swing, sometimes find summer fun on a nearby island in the river. When they cut across the dealership lot in wet clothes to return to their cars, employees often warn them of the river's dangers.
Perkins said he had heard of other teens using the river as a swimming spot, but typically the water is much shallower. With the recent rains, the depth has swelled to six feet in some parts.
"We don't condone (swimming here)," Perkins said, urging other teens to take heed and swim at area pools instead. "This is too dangerous."
MySpace wishes
On Monday, concerned friends paced nervously across the bridge, sharing hugs and awaiting any news, The evening before, hopeful messages began to pop up on Funston's MySpace page. Some wished him well; others prayed for his safe return.
Meanwhile, Funston's family sat shaded underneath a private, blue tent in a nearby parking lot after arriving at about 7:30 a.m. -- shortly after rescue crews began their second-day search for the teen.
As they patiently waited, boats traveled along the Fox River as far south as Orchard Road searching for clues.
Across the bridge, other residents headed about their normal days, pausing briefly to watch the search before heading to the park for the afternoon.
"They don't bring in stuff like that unless something really bad happens," a father told his curious sons before they dashed off to play.
Perkins vowed that the search would continue for several days.
"The goal is to continue until we have a recovery," he said. "We'll do the best we can."
