The sweeping hunt for a three-year-old boy who went missing from his babysitter’s house on Tuesday turned into a nightmare, with cops calling off the search over 30 hours later after locating the kid’s lifeless body in a pond near the sitter’s house.
The boy, known only as Harry K. by authorities, went missing about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was last spotted by a neighbour at 9:15 a.m. playing in the front yard of a residence in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The youngster was discovered under five feet of water at a farm on neighbouring Varnum Avenue, authorities said Wednesday – a location close to the babysitter’s house that had been part of the investigation since the beginning.
According to cops, Harry was dropped off by his parents at the property on 37 Freda Lane about 7 a.m. According to investigators, he was one of 2 kids being supervised by the babysitter at the moment.
The shocking revelation was found just before 2 p.m., about 29 hours after the toddler was last seen. It also occurred immediately after local police justified their move not to declare an Amber Alert after Harry’s abduction, claiming that there was “no cause to assume” foul activity was involved.
Authorities indicated during a news conference near the scene at 3:30 p.m. that they suspected Harry went out the door and into the forested area on his own, and that wrongdoing was not a factor in his absence.
Police began searching the house on Tuesday after getting a 911 call from the unidentified babysitter.
Police continue to line the area where sources tell the I-Team the body of 3 year old Harry was found not far from the Freda Lane home where he wandered from. Update at 3:30 from police. #wbz pic.twitter.com/t76o1tJVa2
— Beth Germano (@BethWBZ) June 15, 2022
After almost 12 hours of scouring, cops expanded their probe early Wednesday into the woods, which are part of the Lowell-Dracut State Forest. Tyngsboro, a nearby town, was also searched by police.
Two police dogs picked up the boy’s smell in the early afternoon in a portion of the woods behind the home, authorities claimed, and finally led detectives to the boy’s body, at Rollie’s Tree Farm, a forested property adjacent to Freda Lane.
The kid most likely wandered through the surrounding woods to the property, according to cops. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
A team of more than 200 officers from several police departments scoured the Massachusetts suburbs for signs of the kid, concentrating on places that had already been investigated and regions that needed to be examined again.
‘We have every resource we need to search every square inch of that area, and we’re going to keep going as long as we can,’ said Chief John Fisher.
They were ultimately directed back to where they began the investigation, courtesy to the Massachusetts State Police’s K-9 team, where they discovered the youngster just feet away from the residence.
The FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment unit also gave assistance, according to cops.
Many people doubted the local Lowell Police Department’s choice not to declare an Amber Alert when Harry went missing.
‘The reason there isn’t an Amber warning is because there’s no probable cause to believe there’s a crime,’ Fisher said Tuesday.
The boy’s dad appeared to concur with the chief’s judgement.
He explained Harry was involved. He enjoys going outside. When he’s at home, he walks outside to play. He’s a healthy child, but he can’t communicate. He’s trying to learn how to speak, but he was unable to.
Generally, Amber Alerts are not made until there is a credible suspicion that the kid has been taken. Police stated that there was proof that Harry left the residence on his own, but did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, a reporter who observed the investigation on Wednesday morning claimed authorities were inspecting the trunks of every car on Freda Lane.
Authorities erected yellow police tape around the farm and the pond after finding the baby’s body.
We are seeing a development in the search for 3-year-old Harry in Lowell. Law enforcement has put up yellow tape around a farm on Varnum Ave. Several officers are standing around the perimeter. Large trucks moving in. pic.twitter.com/QcdpA3cUG5
— Bianca Beltrán (@BiancaNBCBoston) June 15, 2022
One witness, a volunteer assisting with the investigation, described how one of the officers discovered the harrowing find.
‘I was searching for him in the cornfield and all I could hear was, “He’s no longer there. He’s in the water. We’re going to get rid of him. Please exit the cornfield,” the volunteer Kylie Vouley stated.
Watch for more: https://youtu.be/Hmh25ugjVLo
