Missing Lowell boy’s body found, sources say

UPDATE:

LOWELL — The body of the 3-year-old boy who went missing in Pawtucketville Tuesday morning was found in a pond at Rollie’s Farm Wednesday afternoon, The Sun has learned.

As of about 1:45 p.m., searchers ceased their activities and made a perimeter at the farm, according to eyewitness reports. Crime scene tape was put up around the farm and police blocked traffic to Varnum Avenue. Detectives from the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office also arrived on scene.

A press conference with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Lowell First Church of the Nazarene.

Police have not provided a full name for the boy, but multiple news outlets have identified him as Harry Kkonde.

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Police and other public safety officials from around the region are back in Pawtucketville Wednesday to search for a who has been missing for more than 24 hours.

The boy, Harry K., went missing Tuesday morning while a friend of the family babysat him at their home on Freda Lane, which is adjacent to Rollie’s Farm. According to police, the child walked out of the home and was seen by a neighbor about 9:15 a.m. Lowell Police received a call from the grandmother in the household who reported the child missing 15 minutes later, and a massive, multiagency search ensued.

Lowell Interim Police Superintendent Barry Golner said the search continued overnight with detectives and other personnel, and included checking backyards and draining swimming pools. Golner said Joe Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Field Office, also brought in the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team to assist “should this investigation go from a missing person to something else.”

“We are going to continue our efforts and we hope to have some success and hopefully find Harry sometime today,” Golner said.

The search ramped up again around 6 a.m. Wednesday, with more than 200 officers and other public safety personnel, along with assets from State Police and other entities, arriving throughout the morning. Police also stopped vehicles traveling through the neighborhood to check backseats and trunks, and are again urging Lowell and Tyngsboro residents to search their own properties and check Ring doorbell and other surveillance video they might have.

Carlisle Police Chief John Fisher, a Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council control chief, said thermal imaging has been used and two different K-9s tracked Harry’s scent the same direction, but nothing has led directly to the boy. Police will continue to “check every square inch” of the area, he said, including a deeper search of the adjacent Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, which encompasses more than 1,000 acres, and nearby bodies of water.

“Every minute he’s missing is a concern to me, to us, to everybody involved, every minute he’s missing,” Fisher said. “But we’re not going to stop. There’s just no reason to believe we should slow down or stop.”

The missing boy has no known medical needs. This was his fifth time at the babysitter’s house, and there was another child at the house yesterday, according to police. A police spokesperson said the boy’s family is part of a group of families who watch each other’s children.

Co-response clinicians with Lowell Police and Fire, who support families involved in cases of mental health crisis and trauma, were on scene yesterday, but it’s unclear if they will return today.

It is believed that Harry walked out of the house into the backyard on his own. He was not spotted by anyone else besides the neighbor at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday.

In addressing a rumor that the child may be nonverbal, Fisher said he believes Harry behaves as a typical young child would, explaining that “sometimes he speaks, sometimes he doesn’t.”

Police do not plan on issuing an Amber Alert, as they feel there is no reason to treat Harry’s disappearance as a crime, Fisher said. He added that the babysitter “called the police really quickly” and that “everybody did the right thing.”

Fisher said the police are following all leads and are not ruling out any possible explanation for his disappearance.

“If you see a 3-year-old, we’d love to hear about it,” Fisher said. “We’re checking every spot in that neighborhood, from a bread box on up… Look any place you think a 3-year-old can hide.”

Given the enormous manpower of the search, Fisher said he is proud of the efforts all personnel are making to “locate our friend.” A police spokesperson stressed that officials on scene are “highly trained” and for residents to continue to cooperate with police.

Police urge anyone with information on Harry’s whereabouts, or if they believe they have seen him, to immediately call 911 or Lowell Police at 978-937-3200.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/7jTBQ2y