The body of missing four-year-old Jonathan Everett Boley was discovered in a heartbreaking position alongside his dog, according to new reports.
Known to his family as “John-John”, the young boy disappeared on New Year’s Eve after wandering away from his father’s property near Jasper, Alabama.
Fox News reported that Johnathan had been outside playing with his family’s dog, Buck, prior to his disappearance. After the alarm was raised, a search immediately commenced, one that lasted three days and involved the combined efforts of hundreds of law enforcement officers, volunteers, K-9 teams, and aerial support.
That search came to its tragic conclusion on January 2, when Jonathan’s body was found in wooded land about two miles from his father’s home.
The Sun revealed that Buck was discovered alive and waiting beside Jonathan’s body, which was partially submerged in a body of water.
A preliminary coroner’s report showed no signs of trauma or injuries implying assault, though the official cause of death is yet pending.
“We’ve got to work this thing all the way through to make sure it was just an accident or if there was more to the story,” Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith revealed in a press conference.
Authorities also revealed that an Amber Alert was not issued for Johnathan when he went missing due to the lack of evidence suggesting the child had been abducted, as required by law.
Jonathan’s father, 40-year-old Jameson Kyle Boley, was arrested amid the search for his son on charges unrelated to the disappearance.
Investigators found precursor materials at Boley’s property, leading to his arrest on charges of unlawful manufacture of a destructive device. According to the Walker County District Court, Boley stands accused of possessing substances with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a destructive device or bacteriological weapon.
“At this time, there is no evidence indicating foul play in the child’s death, and these charges should not be conflated with the search for Johnathan,” Sheriff Smith said.
As per Fox News, Johnathan and his siblings live with their mother in Florida and had been visiting their father for the holidays under a custody arrangement.
Rest in peace, Johnathan.
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