Bentley Hilton, four, was sitting in his dad’s ute while his father and grandfather unhitched their tinnie at a Lower Portland boat ramp when the vehicle slipped down the ramp and rolled into the water.
The little boy’s father and grandfather ran into the water to try to save him but the car quickly submerged and was swept downstream by a strong current.
Police divers searched the murky river water for hours, eventually recovering Bentley’s body around 3pm, more than four hours after the ute entered the river.
Paramedics’ attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Bentley’s mother has paid tribute to a “bright little boy” who was “always happy to see his mum, see his sister and see his family”.
“It was Mother’s Day the last night I saw him and I spoke to him on Saturday night and he was happy telling me about everything he was doing. We were laughing and giggling,” Ms Hilton told The Daily Telegraph.
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