Search & Recovery Effort Underway For Missing Plainville Teens

AVON, CT — Crews are continuing to search for two missing teenagers who were last seen swimming in the Farmington River on Thursday afternoon.

The effort is now being described as a "search and recovery mission," officials said at a news conference on Friday afternoon.

Emergency crews searched the river Thursday evening along the Avon-Canton line. Police have released a Silver Alert for two missing teens from Plainville. Anthony Nagore, 17, was last seen swimming in the Farmington River with Lucas Brewer, 15.

Avon firefighters, Plainville police, and state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials were all involved in the search, which was suspended overnight and resumed on Friday morning. Clothes and a cell phone were located, according to WFSB 3-TV.

Rescue crews are trying to reduce the water flow in the river by 50 percent to help aid recovery efforts, according to Capt. Keith Williams of the state Environmental Conservation Police department. It could take up to six hours for the water level to drop, Williams said at Friday's news conference.

Williams said the elevated water level due to the recent heavy rainfall is "definitely hampering search efforts."

Williams said while there is "always hope" that they can find the missing teens alive, "it’s really a search and recovery mission, unfortunately."

Brewer is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 170 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and pink and white camo pants, according to the Silver Alert. Nagore is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds.

The Silver Alert noted that Nagore was last seen swimming in the Farmington River with Lucas Brewer. Police have confirmed that the search is related to the two teens going missing, according to WTNH News-8.