According to WGAL, ABC 27 and Penn Live, a 10-year-old kayaker was found dead in Yellow Breeches Creek, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, August 14.

Matthew Coffroth Jr. was first reported missing on Saturday, August 10, and was found four days later. The York County Coroner’s Office concluded in its press release that his death was due to accidental drowning.

The boy was kayaking in Yellow Breeches Creek with his friends and family – four children and three adults.

The group set out to sea around 5 p.m. on Saturday and planned to kayak a mile. However, a few minutes into the excursion, the group encountered heavy debris, consisting mostly of fallen trees and branches, causing Coffroth Jr. to fall out of the boat, according to Penn Live.

He fell into the water and never resurfaced. The other seven kayakers made it safely back to shore.

“The dangers that are always present, that are below the water’s surface and enter the waterway, cannot be underestimated,” said Mike Parker, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, according to ABC 27. “Trees can fall into the water or rocks that are present when the water level is lower but are now submerged and not visible.”

Although life jackets were present, it is not known whether the child was wearing one when he fell into the water.

“I was told that the family and child had been kayaking before and that this was not their first time on the water,” Parker said, according to WGAL.

After the incident, several fire and rescue departments and more than 250 people from two states and seven counties assisted in the search.

Brandon Freistat, Fairview Township emergency management coordinator, said the child’s family was “extremely grateful” for the public’s help, according to WGAL.

“We are so fortunate that there are people in our community who are willing to go to places that many of us would flee from because of the danger or the need to stay in those conditions for hours at a time,” Parker said, according to WGAL.

Rescue crews began searching the rubble pile on Tuesday, August 13, and made further progress the same day as they deployed equipment to clear the debris.

Early Wednesday morning at 7:44 a.m., Coffroth Jr. was found in a pile of rubble about a mile from where he was last seen, according to the York County Coroner’s Office. Deputy Coroner Michele Kirchner arrived at the scene to investigate and confirm the death. The office did not order an autopsy.

Fairview Township Police assisted the Pennsylvania State Police in launching the investigation. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will now investigate the incident.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched Tuesday to support the Coffroth family. At the time of publication, the page had raised over $24,000 of its $25,000 goal.

“This is a gift no family ever wants to receive, but easing the burden even a little bit will go a long way,” the page description reads. “It’s time to show our family that we love and support them more than anyone can imagine.”

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A representative for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further information.