A nonverbal boy from New Orleans who vanished earlier this month was discovered deceased on Tuesday, with evidence suggesting that an alligator attack contributed to his death, as indicated by authorities.
On Wednesday, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick revealed that 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez drowned after experiencing blunt force injuries from an alligator.
His body was found in a lagoon in the city’s Michoud neighborhood, Kirkpatrick said.
An investigation into the boy’s death, which Kirkpatrick said is considered “unclassified,” is ongoing.
The disappearance of Vasquez on August 14 led to an urgent search and criticism of the police department after it emerged that there was a five-hour delay in responding to a 911 call regarding the boy.
Kirkpatrick said Tuesday that it wasn’t clear what caused the delay, but she said she immediately requested an internal affairs investigation.
“Something’s not right here,” she said of the response.
A representative for the Vasquez family informed NBC affiliate WDSU in New Orleans that officials secured a search warrant for cell phones owned by the boy’s parents.
It isn’t clear why. Kirkpatrick said it is not “an unusual step for us to take a look at everything.”
“It may mean nothing,” she said.
Vasquez, who had a neurodevelopmental condition and did not understand English or Spanish, was last seen on the morning of Aug. 14.
The family told WDSU that Bryan exited through his bedroom window around 5 a.m. Not long after, security footage from nearby the family home captured him ambling around in only an adult diaper.
Kirkpatrick said the United Cajun Navy, the volunteer emergency response group, helped lead the search team that found the boy’s body.
A group representative mentioned to a local TV station that a drone team discovered the boy following days of difficult conditions that had hampered their search efforts.
Despite the grim circumstances of the boy’s recovery, he said, “we were able to bring Bryan home.”
