A desperate search for two Harlem friends who vanished last week ended on a tragic note Saturday — leaving their heartbroken families with more questions than answers.
The body of 11-year-old Alfa Barrie was pulled out of the Hudson River near W. 102nd St. early Saturday, police said.
Alfa and his buddy, 13-year-old Garrett Warren, disappeared May 12. Garrett’s remains were recovered on the opposite side of Manhattan in the Harlem River near the Madison Ave. Bridge on Thursday.
On Saturday, relatives still didn’t know just how the two boys ended up in the water. Nor do they know how a gaping hole in a fence along the East River shoreline was left unaddressed, allowing the kids to slip to the water’s edge.
“It took six days and eight days to find them,” Garrett’s mother Dayshell Morre said bitterly as she spoke to the Daily News on Saturday, just hours after Alfa’s remains were covered. “We just want to know what happened to these kids. How did they get in the water?
“We want to know why it took so long for the NYPD to find two black boys,” she said.
Both adolescents apparently drowned, police sources said. No criminality was expected but police were continuing with their investigation to find out exactly what happened to the two friends, a high-ranking NYPD official said.
Alfa’s relatives last saw him at their Bronx home on E. 167th St. around 4 p.m. on May 12. An investigation revealed that the two friends bought a large amount of fish at a Harlem fish shop —although it’s not clear why — with a group of other boys later that afternoon before heading toward the East River, police said.
Later, the two friends and a third teen were caught on video slipping through a hole in a fence, giving them access to the East River, a source with knowledge of the case said.
There’s a 10-foot drop to the shoreline just past the fence, so it was not clear how they ended up in the water.
At around 9 p.m., someone called 911, reporting two boys in the water near the Madison Ave. Bridge, where Garrett’s body was recovered.
“They never even looked in the water,” Morre said of the NYPD. “They had a 911 call and they never looked for these boys.”
The East River was at high tide on the afternoon of May 12, according to an online tide calendar. The tide was going out about 9:15 p.m., around the time the 911 call was made.
An NYPD Harbor Unit, scuba unit and Emergency Services Unit responded to the area within six minutes of the 911 call and scoured the water and the shoreline, but found nothing, a department spokesman said.
Cops tried to contact the 911 caller repeatedly during the search, but never got through to the tipster, an NYPD official said, noting that Alfa and Garrett weren’t reported missing for another two days.
Alfa’s Bronx family reported him missing Sunday morning. Garrett’s parents reported their son missing the next day at about 3 p.m.
Cops quickly linked the two disappearances and on Tuesday released photos of the young boys, asking for the public’s help to find them.
A passerby spotted Alfa’s body floating near the rain-swept shoreline about 6:45 a.m. Saturday.
An NYPD Harbor Unit brought the body to the muddy shore, just a few short blocks from a missing person poster asking for information about Alfa’s whereabouts.
Alfa’s uncle identified the remains Saturday. The child’s relatives could be heard wailing in pain after being told the news.
“They just confirmed and said that was him,” Ibrahim Diallo, Alfa’s brother, told The News. “There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered. How did they get in the water? No one would just go in the water there.”
Alfa was found about five miles from where Garrett’s remains were recovered, police said.
Alfa lived in the Bronx, but attended sixth grade at Democracy Prep Harlem Middle School, a charter school on W. 133rd St.
“He stood out as a funny, bright, witty, inquisitive and brave child. He will be sorely missed by his teachers and fellow students,” charter school CEO Natasha Trivers said. “We are devastated to learn that Alfa Ousmane Barrie is no longer with us. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and the community that is grieving for him.”
Democracy Prep school administrators also extended their condolences to Garrett’s family.
“While he was not a student, we understand that this is a difficult time for his community as well and share our prayers with them,” she said.
Garret attended NEST+M, a highly competitive school on the Lower East Side that only accepts students who score in the 97th percentile on the entrance exam.
Relatives said cops identified two children who were with Alfa and Garrett, but haven’t charged them. The NYPD could not immediately confirm this, citing the ongoing investigation.
Diallo was outraged the fence they crawled through was allowed to remain in such poor condition, opening the door to the pre-teen’s death.
“There’s a lot of holes in the fences. There’s no way that they could jump over those fences,” Diallo said. “Something has to happen.”
Alfa and Garrett’s families will address their concerns with the investigation on Monday, Morre said. Until then, they’re saying silent prayers that the two missing boys have been found.
“They knew each other a very long time. I am very blessed that they did find that baby,” she said of Alfa.
“We are very blessed that they were found,” she said somberly.
