I was mistaken. His father is in Freeman Hospital in Joplin.
JOPLIN, Mo. — Will Norton, an 18 year-old whose family launched a social media campaign in a desperate effort to locate him, is dead.
At an emotional news conference Saturday afternoon at Freeman Hospital West, Tracey Presslor, Norton’s aunt, and Keith Ledgerwood, his cousin, confirmed that Norton’s body was found in one of two debris-laden ponds on the northeast corner of 26th Street and Schifferdecker Avenue.
“This was like the perfect kid,” Presslor said. “He loved animals, and he loved people.” She said the family on Friday night was notified of the death.
Norton was returning home from Joplin High School graduation ceremonies last Sunday afternoon with his father, Mark Norton, when the Hummer H3 they were traveling in was hit by the tornado that roared through Joplin.
Will Norton was either sucked through the vehicle’s sun roof or thrown out. Family members later found Mark Norton at Freeman, where he continues to be treated for his injuries.
“They had searched the ponds twice before, but they kept checking,” Presslor said.
At the news conference, Presslor thanked the more than 150 volunteers who helped search for Will Norton as well as the nearly 30,000 people who supported the “Help Find Will Norton” page on Facebook. Presslor asked those to redirect their efforts to help find other missing tornado victims.
Presslor said Mark Norton will likely remain in Freeman Hospital West for at least a week. She said he is to undergo at least one more surgery in the next few days. Presslor said Norton suffered a broken arm, and upper-body injuries occurred as he desperately tried to hold on to his son and keep him in the vehicle.
“As a dad, you never want to let go of your kid,” Presslor said. “You want to hang onto them.”
Presslor and Ledgerwood were joined at the news conference by Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Watson, who lauded the spirit and determination of Norton’s family and friends.
“Their spirit is much like the spirit of this community,” Watson said. “It’s very strong.”
Presslor said the family takes comfort in the fact that Norton’s body was recovered near the area the vehicle was found.
“At least we know that he was not out there suffering,” she said.
Funeral arrangements, Presslor said, are on hold until Mark Norton is able to leave the hospital. She said that when the services are scheduled, the information will be posted on the family’s website:
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Family members emotionally note Joplin teen?s death Local News The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO