GoFundMe page made for victim of Rock Creek Lake incident to pay for funeral, medical expenses

KELLOGG – The 9-year-old boy who went missing in the water Saturday afternoon at Rock Creek State Park and was later flown to Des Moines for medical attention has died, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release Sunday, Aug. 15.

The boy was identified by authorities as Steven Streets, Jr. of Melbourne.

At about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 14, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call of a young male that was missing in the water near the beach area of Rock Creek State Park.

Bystanders located the child about eight minutes later and began providing CPR until Iowa Department of Natural Resources Officers, Kellogg Fire/EMS, Newton Fire/EMS and Jasper County Sheriff Deputies arrived to to the scene.

The boy was then flown to a Des Moines area hospital. The sheriff’s office offered its thoughts and praters to the child and family.

Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty thanked the bystanders who provided CPR.

The City of Melbourne lent its condolences to the family and included a link on its Facebook account to a GoFundMe page to cover the funeral and medical costs.

Organized by Stephanie Gwinn, who identified herself as Streets’ older sister, the GoFundMe page had grossed more than $3,700 as of Aug. 17, with a goal of $20,000.

“We are asking for kind words, prayers and any little bit you can donate to help our family during this time of mourning and tragedy,” Gwinn said. “Thank you and God bless.”

Rock Creek State Park has nearly 200 campsites with several sites available on the water’s edge or in wooded areas.

Rock Creek Lake is “one of Central Iowa’s most popular lakes,” according to the Iowa DNR. The lake allows for boating and fishing opportunities and a beach that offers unsupervised swimming.

Newton News reached out to the Iowa DNR for comment but did not receive any response by press time Wednesday afternoon.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com