Divers have recovered the body of an infant who went missing in the Withlacoochee River on Sunday, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said.
Ten divers searching in 64-degree water found 7-month-old Elijah Wilson around 10 a.m. Monday. He had been with his uncle late Sunday when the pickup truck they were sitting in rolled into the dark water.
The body of the uncle, 46-year-old Jeffery Stock, was recovered Sunday night.
According to the sheriff's office, Stock was sitting in the bed of a Ford pickup parked along the river at Ranch Road and Auton Road. He was holding the infant with the tailgate down when the truck rolled down an embankment and into the river.
Authorities said Stock tried to jump from the tailgate with Elijah, but instead wound up underwater, pinned beneath the truck.
The father of the baby jumped into the water, but was not able to reach his child or his brother.
"There were multiple people who went in the water in an attempt to conduct their own rescue," said sheriff's office Lt. Mike Jenkins. "But due to the tragic circumstances, it appears the man and, likely, the 7-month-old child were trapped under the vehicle, and it would have been almost impossible to retrieve them."
A search by personnel from the sheriff's office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission went through the night with crews in boats looking along the river with lights set up. Strong currents and alligators on the banks complicated matters.
About 25 family members assisted authorities in the search, officials said. Family members and authorities held a moment of silence when the infant's body was recovered.
Family members had gathered Sunday for a cookout and later drove to the river to go fishing.
Authorities are calling the incident a "freak accident."