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The bodies of three men who have been missing since a six-story apartment building partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa, have been recovered, and no other people are thought to be missing, city officials said Monday. Authorities had been looking for 42-year-old Branden Colvin, 51-year-old Ryan Hitchcock and 60-year-old Daniel Prien since the collapse late last month.
Colvin’s body was recovered Saturday. Hitchcock’s body was recovered Sunday and Prien’s early Monday. The discoveries came after authorities announced that the search for survivors had been completed, with attention turning to shoring up the remaining structure so recovery efforts could begin.
City officials had said earlier that the three men had “high probability of being home at the time of the collapse.” Searching for them has proven to be extremely dangerous. The remains of the building were constantly in motion in the first 24 to 36 hours after it collapsed on May 28, putting rescuers at great risk.
One woman whose apartment ended up in a huge pile of rubble had to have her leg amputated in order to be rescued.
Davenport Police Department via AP
Meanwhile, one of the injured residents sued the city of Davenport and the building’s current and former owners on Monday, alleging they knew of the deteriorating conditions and failed to warn residents of the risk.
The complaint filed on behalf of Dayna Feuerbach alleges multiple counts of negligence and seeks unspecified damages. It also notes that additional lawsuits are likely.
“The city had warning after warning,” attorney Jeffrey Goodman said in an interview with The Associated Press. He called it a common trend in major structural collapses he’s seen. “They had the responsibility to make sure that the safety of the citizens comes first. It is very clear that the city of Davenport didn’t do that.”
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Unresolved questions include why neither the owner nor city officials warned residents about potential danger. A structural engineer’s report issued days before the collapse indicated a wall of the century-old building was at imminent risk of crumbling.
Documents released by the city show that city officials and the building’s owner had been warned for months that parts of the building were unstable.
Tenants also complained to the city in recent years about a host of problems they say were ignored by property managers, including no heat or hot water for weeks or even months at a time, as well as mold and water leakage from ceilings and toilets. While city officials tried to address some complaints and gave vacate orders to individual apartments, a broader evacuation was never ordered, records show.
Two women who own a business on the building’s first floor told CBS News there were numerous issues, including cracks in the walls and a ceiling hole, and they filed at least three complaints with the city.
Andrew Wold, the building’s owner, released a statement dated May 30 saying “our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants.” He has made no statement since then, and efforts to reach him, his company and a man believed to be his attorney have been unsuccessful. The mayor and other officials say they have had no contact with the owner since the collapse.
County records show Davenport Hotel L.L.C. acquired the building in a 2021 deal worth $4.2 million.
