This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
NEW YORK • The bodies of two boys who were separated from their frantic mother at the height of Superstorm Sandy by a large wave were found Thursday in a marshy area at the end of a street, authorities said.
Two-year-old Brandon Moore and 4-year-old Connor Moore were swiped into swirling waters after their mother placed them on the roof of her SUV on Monday amid rushing waters that caused the vehicle to stall, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said as he announced the discovery of the bodies.
Police have said the mother, Glenda Moore, was going to a shelter when she tried to flee the vehicle with the boys, losing her grip on their hands in the rising water and under the relentless cadence of pounding waves.
"She put the two boys on the roof of the car to avoid the water, and then another large wave came, and it apparently washed them away," Kelly said. "Of course, the mother was totally, completely distraught. She started looking for them herself, asking people to help her look."
The search has continued ever since, with numerous emergency personnel joining the march through Staten Island marshland until the bodies were located at the end of a narrow dead end street.
"Terrible, absolutely terrible," Kelly said. "It just compounds all the tragic aspects of this horrific event."
———
Associated Press Writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this story.