Fresh Eyes, Dogs Brought in Tuesday to Search for Christopher Marks

Missing Christopher Marks was last seen swinging from a tire above the Meramec River by a family member with him Sunday night at the Pacific Palisades Conservation Area near the -Pacific borderline, confirmed St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch at the incident scene Tuesday at approximately 8:10 a.m.

On Monday, the exact location and last whereabouts of Marks seemed to be in conflict.

• Was he truly last seen in the water?
• Was he at the water's edge?
• Was he really on a rope swing?
• Had he moved away from the group on land?

Fitch said this effort is still considered a search and rescue endeavor.

Marks is a 12-year-old from Affton who will be a seventh grader at Rodgers Middle School.

Police are searching specifically up to 1 mile downstream of where Marks, his twin sister, stepfather and friends were Sunday evening.

"We will not stop until we've search over and over and over again all the options," said Fitch. "The officers won't rest until they've checked it all many times."

He said the Meramec River is deep at certain spots, and murkiness has made search attempts extremely challenging. "The divers said they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces."

Among the canine units brought in Tuesday are dogs especially trained to pick up scents under the water, Fitch said. "There are multiple search dog teams here, and more enroute today. Some dogs are working from on boats."

He said the teams are on standby (a Eureka ambulance crew came and left already this morning twice), and the divers working the rescue area are from High Ridge Fire Protection District.

Fitch said it was possible that Marks' body had been swept away, given the depth and currents of the particular part of the river and cove in question. But he also said he still had optimism about the situation because Marks was a healthy, strong youth.