Las Vegas police release new image of boy found dead on trail
Police have released a new digitally enhanced photo of the boy whose body was found by a hiker on a trail near Las Vegas on Friday morning.
The photo was provided to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as they work to identify the child, LVMPD said in a press release.
“We are asking teachers in particular to pay close attention to this new digitally enhanced photo,” police said in the release.
“Detectives believe the victim is between the ages of 8 and 12, he is 4’11” and weighs 123 pounds. Due to the location of the body, the victim may have lived in Las Vegas, Pahrump, Baker or other nearby cities,” the department said.
A woman earlier mistakenly identified the boy as her 8-year-old son, contacting police after an initial sketch was released by police and positively identifying him after seeing photos of his body, according to LVMPD Lt. Raymond Spencer.
Saturday morning, after police held a news conference about the discovery of the body, officers received information that the boy who was thought to be dead was actually camping with his father and 11-year-old brother “in an area of central Utah that was outside of cellphone reception,” a statement from the LVMPD said.
Officers confirmed the boys and their father were safe, the statement said.
Child pronounced dead at scene
The boy was discovered around 7:45 a.m. (10:45 a.m. ET) Friday lying in a forested area of Mountain Springs Trailhead near mile marker 20 on State Route 160, according to Las Vegas police. The area is about 25 miles southwest of downtown Las Vegas.
Medical personnel who responded to the call pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.
Authorities are not releasing information about injuries to the body, Spencer said. The boy’s cause and manner of death will be released by the Clark County coroner’s office.
The homicide section of Las Vegas police can be reached at 702-828-3521. Tipsters who want to stay anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or go to crimetoppersofnv.com.
