On Friday April 10, 2015 at 9:45 a.m., the Yuma Police Department responded to the 4600 block of 6E to assist the Yuma Fire Department in searching for twin boys age eighteen months old who had fallen into a canal.
At 11:20, the two people were located and flown from the scene to the Yuma Regional Medical Center by U.S.M.C. Search and Rescue. Both boys were pronounced deceased.
The twin boys were identified as Silas and Eli Keslar. The boys were being pushed in a jogging stroller by their mother, identified as Alexis Keslar, who was walking along the canal. The mother stopped briefly to fend off a bee. The stroller rolled away from her into the canal, with the boys belted in the seat. The mother immediately entered the canal and attempted to rescue her sons. Due to the speed of the current and depth of the water, and the steep incline of the sides of the canal, she was unable do so. The stroller was washed away by the current. After struggling to get herself out of the canal, the mother immediately summoned helped.
After emergency personnel arrived on scene, the irrigation district that manages the canal assisted with slowing the flow of water and reducing the water level through that section of canal which aided emergency personnel in locating and retrieving the children from the canal.
The numerous canals in the Yuma area are commonly used by community members to walk, jog, and bicycle along year round. These canals typically appear smooth with an obvious current. According to Yuma Police, many people typically do not comprehend how swift the current in these canals are and how deep the water can be. They also do not realize how difficult it is to climb back up many of the canal embankments.
The Yuma Police Department encourages everyone to use caution around canals to avoid tragic events such as this.