Police had to call off a massive search for a three-year-old boy after his lifeless body was found in a pond near the nanny’s home more than 30 hours after he disappeared from his nanny’s home on Tuesday.
Around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, the boy — known to authorities only as Harry K. — went missing. At 9:15 a.m., a neighbor last saw him playing outside a house in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Authorities said Wednesday that the child was found on a farm near the nanny’s home, which had been the focus of the investigation since the beginning, and the body was found under five feet of water at a farm on neighboring Varnum Avenue.
Police say Harry’s parents dropped him off at a residence at 37 Freda Lane around 7 a.m. Investigators determined he was one of two children the babysitter was watching at the time.
Just before 2 pm, approximately 29 hours after the toddler was last seen, the terrifying discovery was made. But it comes just after neighborhood police defended their decision to forgo issuing an Amber Alert following Harry’s abduction, saying there was “no reason to suspect” criminal activity.
At a 3:30 p.m. press conference held near the scene, authorities said they believed Harry had left the house alone and into nearby woods. They added that criminal activity was not to blame for Harry’s disappearance.
On Tuesday, police began searching the home after receiving a 911 call from an unnamed babysitter.
Police expanded their investigation into the woods that are part of the Lowell-Dracut State Forest early Wednesday after more than 12 hours of searching. Police also searched the nearby town of Tyngsboro.
Authorities say two police dogs picked up the boy’s scent early in the afternoon in some woods behind the house. That scent eventually led investigators to the boy’s body at Rollie’s Tree Farm, a wooded area near Freda Lane.
Police continue to line the area where sources tell the I-Team the body of 3 year old Harry was found not far from the Freda Lane home where he wandered from. Update at 3:30 from police. #wbz pic.twitter.com/t76o1tJVa2
— Beth Germano (@BethWBZ) June 15, 2022
The police believe that the child wandered into the area through the nearby woods. It is still unclear what caused the death.
More than 200 officers from several law enforcement agencies searched suburban Massachusetts for any signs of the child, paying particular attention to areas that had already been investigated and those that required further investigation.
Chief John Fisher said: “We have all the tools necessary to search every inch of this area and we will continue to search as long as we can.
According to the Massachusetts State Police K-9 unit, they were eventually led back to the scene where they found the child just a few feet from the residence.
Officers say the FBI’s Rapid Action Unit for Children also provided support.
When Harry went missing, many people questioned the Lowell Police Department’s decision not to issue an Amber Alert.
Because there is no reason to suspect a crime, Fisher said Tuesday, there is no Amber Alert.
The boy’s father seemed to agree with the chief.
Harry was involved, he said. He likes to be outside. When he is at home, he goes outside to play. Although he is a healthy child, he is unable to speak. He tried to speak but couldn’t.
Amber Alerts are usually not issued unless there is strong suspicion that a child has been abducted. Police said they had evidence that Harry left the house alone, but gave no further details.
Authorities reportedly searched every car on Freda Lane, according to a reporter who witnessed the investigation Wednesday morning.
We are seeing a development in the search for 3-year-old Harry in Lowell. Law enforcement has put up yellow tape around a farm on Varnum Ave. Several officers are standing around the perimeter. Large trucks moving in. pic.twitter.com/QcdpA3cUG5
— Bianca Beltrán (@BiancaNBCBoston) June 15, 2022
After authorities discovered the child’s body, they placed yellow police tape around the farm and pond.
A witness who volunteered to help with the investigation told how one of the officers made the terrifying discovery.
The only sound I could make as I looked for him in the cornfield was, “He left the area. He drowned. We will remove it. please leave the cornfield,” said volunteer Kylie Vouley.