Body found in river may be that of missing Oklahoma child

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Police in Tulsa said Wednesday that a body found in a river in eastern Oklahoma is believed to be that of a 3-year-old girl who disappeared Friday with her younger brother.

Officer Jeanne Pierce said the body believed to be that of Miracle Crook was found Tuesday night in the Arkansas River about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Tulsa.

“We don't know 100% it was her. We're waiting on the (medical examiner) for that. It most likely is her,” Pierce said.

Miracle and 2-year-old Tony Crook were last seen on security video walking alone outside their apartment complex toward a creek. The children were dressed only in diapers.

Heavy rains from Friday through Monday had swollen creeks and rivers in the area and resulted in swiftly flowing waters, said Pierce. The creek near the children's home flows into the Verdigris River, which flows into the Arkansas River.

“We do have video of the kids going down the embankment holding hands together and never reappearing,” Tulsa police Chief Wendell Franklin said Tuesday. “We are fairly confident that there was no other place for them to have come back up and survive.”

The body was first spotted by a fisherman in the Verdigris River before it was retrieved downstream in the Arkansas River.

Authorities were still searching for Tony, Pierce said.

“At least we have a starting point now to work back toward Tulsa,” Pierce said.

The children's mother, Donisha Willis, 24, is jailed on charges of child neglect and assaulting a police officer. Jail records do not list an attorney for Willis.