By The Associated Press
The body of one of three men missing after the partial collapse of an apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, was found this weekend, a city official said.
The body of Branden Colvin Sr. was found Saturday, city spokeswoman Sarah Ott said Sunday. Two other men — Ryan Hitchcock, 51, and Daniel Prien, 60 — are still missing.
The death of Colvin, 42, is the first confirmed after the collapse. No further details were immediately available.
The Quad-City Times reported that Branden Colvin Jr., Colvin's son, graduated from high school on Saturday. He and other family members had been in the area of the collapse almost permanently, waiting for a miracle.
The discovery of Colvin's body comes a day after authorities said the search for survivors was over, and that the focus was now on securing the structure so victim recovery efforts could begin.
Partial view of the building that collapsed in Davenport, Iowa. Photo June 3, 2023.Getty Images
Nancy Prien Frezza, Prien's daughter, told The Associated Press she has not received any updates on the search for her father.
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The wreckage of the six-story apartment building has not remained stable for the first 24 to 36 hours after the collapse on May 28, which officials deemed a risk to rescuers searching for survivors.
City officials said earlier that "there was a strong probability" that Colvin, Hitchcock and Prien "were in their homes at the time of the collapse."
A poster with photos of Branden Colvin and Ryan Hitchcock, at the site of the building collapse in Davenport, Iowa.Getty Images
Authorities have said the search of the building was extremely dangerous because the structure was constantly moving and in danger of further collapse, posing a great risk to rescuers.
An Iowa task force completed the search for survivors Thursday and began focusing on shoring up the structure so the victims' bodies could be recovered.
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"We're doing everything we can to find a balance between the conditions of the building and the safety of the rescuers," Fire Chief Mike Carlstein said during a news conference after the collapse. He added that these conditions have caused the work to take "days and weeks" instead of minutes or hours, which would be ideal.
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Mayor Mike Matson said the mountains of rubble "could be where some of the missing are."
Work to demolish the building was progressing amid questions about why neither the owner nor city officials warned residents about the building's dangers: A report by a structural engineer just days before the collapse said a 100-year-old wall was at imminent risk of falling.
Documents released by the city show officials and the building's owner were warned for months that parts of the structure were unstable.
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Residents also complained in recent years about a number of problems they said were ignored by property managers, including sometimes no heat or hot water for weeks or months, as well as mold and water leaks from the roof and bathrooms.
Although officials tried to deal with some of the complaints and gave eviction orders to some apartments, a full evacuation was never ordered.
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Current and former residents of the building told The Associated Press that cracks in the wall eventually collapsed and were reported to building management.
Andrew Wold, the building's owner, released a statement dated May 30 saying "our thoughts and prayers are with the residents." He has made no further comment since then and attempts to contact him, his company or a man believed to be his lawyer have been futile.
County records show Davenport Hotel L.L.C. acquired the building in 2021 following a $4.2 million deal.
