SARPY COUNTY, Neb. (KMTV) — Six years after 8-year-old Taries Price was swept away by the Platte River, her family is honoring her legacy - in part - by collecting life jacket donations.
Taries was not wearing a life jacket on June 11, 2020. Her family had been enjoying Schramm State Park, when everything changed.
Several agencies assisted in the search, using boats with sonar and helicopters. She has never been found.
"We're extremely concerned because we have an 8-year-old child missing. Naturally, most of us have families. It really hits home," Lt. Dennis Svoboda of the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office said at the time.
Today, Taries' mother, Tressa Price, said she finds comfort in the world around her.
"I don't see her as gone, it's just - right now - she's not with me, but one day, we'll be together again. And I just think of her every time I see any rainbows, butterflies, dragonflies. Being outside in nature reminds me of her," Price said.
She wants other parents to learn from what her family has experienced.
"I want to talk to every parent to reconsider a life jacket. You know, going in to any part of the water or being on a boat. I think it's very important. I wish I knew what I know now back then."
The family is collecting new and used life jacket donations throughout June. Drop-offs are being accepted at Grease Monkey on North 90th Street in Omaha.
"When purchasing one for your child, maybe purchase an extra for someone? It's a part of giving back. It's not about the total. It's about that total life that could be saved," Price encouraged.
Donations will go to water sources in Nebraska and Colorado, where the family lives today. They've vowed to search the Platte River until they find closure.
Tressa Price also created this page in memory of her daughter.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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