Louisiana Investigations Underway after Missing Child’s Body Found in Pond

(New Orleans, Louisiana) - Devastating news out of New Orleans after the search for a missing 12-year-old non-verbal child ended when his body was discovered in a lagoon near his home, according to WDSU.

The young boy, Bryan Vasquez, has been missing since August 14. He was last seen at his home.

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The New Orleans Police Department Has Launched An Investigation

According to New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, an investigation has begun to determine the child's manner of death. The child's death is considered an unclassified death case, and as part of the investigation, investigators got a search warrant for the cellphone of the child's mother, Hilda Vasquez.

Superintendent Kirkpatrick says that's standard procedure in this case. Also investigating is the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Says Many Questions Must Be Answered

Another aspect of the case being investigated is the time it took for the New Orleans Police Department to respond to the call about Bryan's disappearance. Officials say it was not until five hours after the call to emergency services that someone showed up to begin the investigation. Kirkpatrick says all aspects of this case will be investigated, including why it took so long to get out to the call.

Volunteers from across the state and the nation came to assist in the search. According to NOLA.com, a volunteer with the United Cajun Navy found the boy's body with a drone in a canal not far from his home.

The Child Was Previously Known To Leave Through His Bedroom Window

His mother had said previously that when they lived at their old address, the boy would often sneak out of his window to go to the local playground. She says people in the neighborhood would know just to take him home.

According to officials, the boy snuck out of the room at their new home at around 5 o'clock on the morning of Thursday, August 14. A short time later, the boy was seen on a local street camera, where he discarded his diaper. That was the last sighting that anyone had of the child until the grim discovery on Tuesday.

Kirkpatrick says they will have to investigate to determine if there was foul play or not, but she didn't name any suspects. Right now, investigators are working to determine exactly what happened, and officials say an autopsy will provide more information.

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