Firefighters find body of missing girl, 15, in river

Fire crews had searched the river daily since the jumpwas reported.
By DENISE DICKand PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- It may well be one of the most emotional duties firefighters have to perform -- searching the Mahoning River for a body, especially the body of a child.
And, on Friday morning, their search was successful. They retrieved the body of 15-year-old Antoinette Cooper, who reportedly jumped into the river Monday.
Her body was found about a mile from where she jumped, firefighters said.
"I hope this brings some closure to her family," said Mayor Michael O'Brien, who was at the scene. "This is very tragic."
Capt. Dave Sponaugle spotted Antoinette's body about 8:30 a.m. Friday, about 20 feet north of the dam.
A witness reported seeing the girl jump into the river Monday afternoon from the Dunstan Drive bridge. Fire crews had been searching for her daily since then.
The dive team from the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department arrived Thursday to assist in the search, but they had to call off the efforts because of the river's swift current. The team had been set to return today.
Scanned the area
Fire Chief Ken Nussle said Sponaugle decided to scan the area before boats hit the river Friday morning.
"He was just walking when he noticed something in the water," Nussle said.
O'Brien said he was "very impressed" with the way the fire department handled the situation.
"This was a difficult and tough situation," the mayor said. "The firefighters were putting their own lives in jeopardy. It took a while to get her out of the river because they had to take precautions to make sure they would be OK."
He noted the girl was found in a part of the river that has strong currents.
"Our personnel was prepared for it," the chief said, adding that it's not the first time someone has drowned in the river and the body had to be retrieved. "They're dealing with it pretty well."
He did note that because of the location, fire rescue crews had to be careful to not go over the dam and become victims themselves.
Crews used an inflatable raft to retrieve the girl's body, which was taken to Trumbull Memorial Hospital. The county coroner's office will perform an autopsy.
denise_dick@vindy.comsinkovich@vindy.com