UPDATE:
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday said DNA testing would be required to positively identify the body of 3-year-old Emilliano Terry.
An autopsy was performed Tuesday morning to find out how the boy died, but officials have not yet released the findings.
A spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office said the results from the DNA tests could take several days.
Cleveland police said they’d obtain a search warrant to gather more evidence to take to the prosecutor’s office. That will determine what charges will be filed against the little boy’s mother, 20-year-old Camilia Terry, who was arrested Monday night and remains in police custody.
The investigation started when Terry placed a frantic call to 911 late Sunday afternoon, saying that her son had gone missing while she was tending to her other children at Kossuth Park.
At first authorities said they had no reason to doubt her story, but that changed when her statements became inconsistent.
An investigator with the Cleveland Police Department told Fox 8 News that Terry’s 5-year-old pointed at a waste management truck, and that’s what led authorities to start searching in that direction.
After sifting through about four or five trash bags at a waste treatment plant in Oakwood Village Monday night, authorities say they found the body of the toddler. It was reportedly intact.
Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath said the following on the CPD Facebook page, in part, after Emilliano’s body was discovered:
“It is with great sorrow that we have learned of the death of missing three-year old Emilliano Terry. On behalf of the Cleveland Division of Police, our condolences go out to all those who loved and cared for this child throughout his life, and to the community who came to care for him these last 24 hours.”
The FBI has joined the search for a missing 3-year-old Cleveland boy.
Police say Emilliano Terry was last seen Sunday around 5:05 p.m. at Kossuth Park at East 121st Street and Williams Avenue in Cleveland.
The boy’s mother said she only took her eyes off of her son for a minute to tend to another child, and the next minute, the boy was gone.
Police searched the area of the park, along with several others, with the help of several K9 units.
Officers also searched in the 13000 block of Buckeye Road, where the boy lives. The search also expanded near the E. 116th Street RTA Rapid Station and also to Shaker Square, after the boy’s scent was picked up by search dogs.
A 5-year-old boy told police he saw Emilliano get into a black car. The boy was unable to provide any specific details about the vehicle, so police were unable to issue an Amber Alert.
Investigators say they contacted the boy’s father. They say there are no custody issues and don’t believe he had any involvement in the boy’s disappearance.
The Cleveland Division of Police continues to ask for the public’s help in finding Emilliano. He’s about 30″ tall and roughly 30 pounds.
He was last seen wearing a gray North Face coat, a red and black sweater, blue jeans and blue and black Champion tennis shoes.
Anyone with information on Emilliano Terry’s whereabouts should immediately call the Fourth District Detective Bureau (216) 623-5418.
via: FOX8
