For the third-straight day FBI agents searched the banks and murky waters of the Schuylkill River today and for the third-straight day, federal investigators remained silent on the reason for the search.
FBI divers and Philadelphia Police Marine Unit investigators were back on the banks and in the water of the Schuylkill River along Kelly Drive inbound near the Falls Bridge in the city’s East Falls neighborhood Wednesday after searching most of the day Monday and Tuesday.
A tent and truck have served as a temporary base for the agents. FBI investigators could be seen utilizing the tent and blocking part of the sidewalk Monday and Tuesday. They lowered a ladder down towards the Schuylkill River and agents under the tent could be seen communicating with divers during the search.
After hours of searching, an FBI agent could be seen pulling a revolver out of the water around noon Tuesday. The FBI turned the gun over to Philadelphia Police.
It's unclear if the weapon is one of the things the FBI hoped to find because they haven't told anyone the purpose for the investigation.
FBI spokeswoman Carrie Adamowski says that the FBI’s Underwater Search & Evidence Response Team (USERT) was searching the river under the Falls Bridge. According to the FBI website, the team focuses on "priority investigations" and there are only four in the country.
Since the search is part of an ongoing investigation, the FBI wouldn’t say what agents were searching for in the water.
Traffic along Kelly Drive has kept moving during the search but local residents and curious onlookers have gathered near the scene causing things to slow up a bit.
"We're curious," said Jamie Hurd, one of the witnesses. "But we don't want to make speculations without knowing what really happened."
