SOUTH BERWICK — Maine State Police are following close to 100 leads in their investigation of the suspicious death of a young boy whose body was found off a wooded road over the weekend.

But authorities are frustrated because they have not yet been able to establish the identity of the child, who is believed to have been between 4 and 6 years old. Police believe the boy was placed off Dennett Road around 7:30 a.m. Saturday and that the child may have died only a few hours earlier. The body was discovered by a local resident around 5 p.m. Saturday.

The boy’s death is considered suspicious simply because of his age and the fact that he has not been reported missing by an adult, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

The State Computer Crimes Unit generated a likeness of the boy. They have since fielded dozens of calls from Maine and elsewhere in the country.

“This young boy’s face is the best-known face in New England today. Somebody knows who this boy is,”  McCausland

One lead appeared to be promising, but it turned out to be another child matching the description who was fine. Police have also ruled out missing persons reports from Michigan and Illinois.

Advertisement

State Police have between 12 and 15 detectives working on the case and are working closely with authorities in New Hampshire. The investigation includes the collection and examination of surveillance camera video from the area.

State Police are also working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and have asked the state Department of Education to see if any children matching the boy’s description failed to show up at school.

“State Police have brought all their resources to bear on this,” Col. Robert Williams, chief of the State Police, said during an afternoon news conference.

Police are working under the assumption that the child was left by someone local, given the remoteness of the area, said Lt. Brian McDonough, head of State Police detectives in southern Maine.

The body was found near a long driveway connecting a home to the dirt section of Dennett Road. 
An autopsy was conducted Sunday, but the cause of death has not been released.

The property where the boy was found is on an isolated, unpaved section of the road, away from the cluster of homes closer to Route 4. The residents of the home reported seeing a navy blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck around 7:30 a.m. The truck had an extended cab with a full cap cover over the bed and a white license plate, though the state was not known. The driver is believed to be female.
Police said that no one in the area has a truck like that. Evidence technicians have been able to recover tire impressions and footprints from the area.

Advertisement

The boy’s fully clothed body was found covered with a dark green Army-style blanket and placed under hemlock trees near a long driveway. Police said the boy, who was 3-foot-8 and weighed 45 pounds, appeared to be well nourished and had been dressed for the weather.

He had dark blond hair and blue eyes and still had his baby teeth. He was wearing a Faded Glory brand gray camouflage hooded sweatshirt, khaki pants and black “Lightning McQueen” sneakers.

State Police Sgt. Chris Harriman says the only way investigators are going to be able to identify the boy is if someone recognizes him and calls police.

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.