Safety concerns delaying search for boy missing in Weber River

Searchers are determining when divers can return to the Weber River to try and recover the body of the boy who fell in last month.

Meanwhile, Ogden police are continuing to walk the river's banks in case 4-year-old Corbin Anderson surfaces, said Ogden police Lt. Danielle Croyle.

Divers have periodically entered the river since Corbin fell in on April 28, but swirling currents have made the search difficult and sometimes dangerous.

On Monday, Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Lowther said divers were discussing when they can return to the stretch of the river where Corbin's body is believed to be submerged — between 17th and 24th streets.

"They'll have to look at a couple areas and see if it's safe," Lowther said.

Over the weekend, rangers from Utah State Parks searched an area of the Great Salt Lake where the Weber River empties. Lowther said searchers "really, really, really doubt" Corbin's body would have been able to escape through grates and other barriers and reach the lake, but searched the lake as a precaution.

Also on the weekend, the river was lowered and diverted through an alternate channel, leaving some areas shallow enough to wade while other spots remained up to 10 feet deep. More than 100 searchers joined the effort on Saturday to take advantage of the lower water levels.

Corbin and his family are from Layton. The boy tumbled into the river while standing on a boulder so his family could take his picture, police have reported.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com

Twitter: @natecarlisle