An official from the city of Davenport, Iowa, reported on Sunday that the body of one of three males who had been missing since the partial collapse of an apartment building was discovered. According to municipal spokesperson Sarah Ott, the body of Branden Colvin Sr. was found on Saturday.
There are two additional guys who have not been located: 51-year-old Ryan Hitchcock and 60-year-old Daniel Prien. The death of 42-year-old Colvin is the first official death toll from the fall. There were no more details made public at the time. Nancy Prien Frezza, Prien’s daughter, told The Associated Press that she has heard nothing new about the search for her dad.
According to the Quad-City Times, Colvin’s son, Branden Colvin Jr., received his high school diploma on Saturday. He and his loved ones had spent days and nights at the collapse site, praying for a miracle.
Colvin’s body was found a day after police declared the search for survivors done and turned their focus to shoring up the structure in preparation for recovery activities. Officials warned that rescuers were put in danger by the continually shifting rubble of the six-story apartment building in the first 24 to 36 hours after it collapsed on May 28.
According to earlier statements made by city officials, Colvin, Hitchcock, and Prien had a “high probability of being home at the time of the collapse.” Searching the building, according to authorities, is exceedingly risky due to its instability and potential for future collapse.
On Thursday, an Iowa task force finished its search for survivors and shifted its attention to securing the scene for future rescue operations. Fire Chief Mike Carlsten told reporters following the fall, “We are doing the best we can to balance the building conditions and the safety of our responders.”
According to him, the situation necessitates a response that could take “days and weeks” instead of the ideal few minutes or hours. Some of the “unaccounted for” may find peace among the debris pile, as Mayor Mike Matson put it.
A structural engineer’s report issued days before the collapse indicated a wall of the century-old building was at imminent risk of collapsing, yet neither the owner nor city officials issued any warnings to residents. Demolition work continued despite the questions.
The below tweet verifies the news:
Missing man’s body recovered at Iowa apartment collapse site; two others still missing https://t.co/IAcYyL3Ji9
— 4029news (@4029news) June 4, 2023
City documents reveal that officials and the building’s owner had been informed for months that the structure was unsafe. In recent years, tenants have also reported numerous issues to the city that they claim were overlooked by property management.
These issues include a lack of heat or hot water for weeks or even months, mold, and water leakage from ceilings and toilets. Records reveal that city officials did take action in response to certain complaints by issuing individual eviction notices, but no widespread evacuation was ever issued.
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Current and past tenants told The Associated Press that they had informed the building’s management about the inner flaws in the wall that led to its collapse. Owner Andrew Wold issued a statement on May 30 reading, “Our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants.”
Attempts to contact him, his employer, and a guy believed to be his attorney have all been fruitless since then, and he has not issued any sort of statement. According to the county registry, Davenport Hotel L.L.C. paid $4.2 million in 2021 to purchase the structure.
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