What should have been a day of celebration turned into a tragedy when the 6-year-old boy went missing during a birthday party. The search operations lasted for three hours before the child was finally located.
Brantley Griffin was one of the 75 children present at the birthday party held in a large resort with pools fed by natural springs and outdoor playgrounds.
This resort was popular for birthday celebrations and significant gatherings. It featured a pavilion, several cabins, a kitchen, and a swimming area, all surrounded by trees and bushes. Around three in the afternoon, Brantley’s family noticed he was missing among the children playing on the playgrounds or swimming in the pools. Concerned, they alerted other party attendees and the hotel staff to help search for the child.
Shortly after, the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office was urgently contacted and joined the search. According to Brantley’s family, the last time they saw the 6-year-old, he was playing on a playground near a wooded area. Searches were initiated to find any clues of his presence. Initially, the hypothesis of abduction was raised, with fears that he might have been taken.
The police reviewed surveillance footage to determine if anyone had taken Brantley. Drones were also used to explore the woods in the hope of spotting the boy, but without success. After three hours of searching, divers ultimately found Brantley’s body in one of the pools, just after 6 p.m. Unfortunately, he had lost his life by drowning, and he was not wearing any flotation device.
The family of Brantley confirmed that the young boy did not know how to swim. Although he had worn a flotation device earlier that day, he was not wearing it at the time of his discovery.