A 12-year-old nonverbal boy who vanished earlier this month in New Orleans was found dead in a lagoon Tuesday, with authorities revealing he drowned after suffering blunt force trauma from an alligator. Police say the investigation remains ongoing and unclassified as questions grow about the delayed emergency response and the circumstances leading up to his disappearance.
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Boy Found in Lagoon
Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick confirmed that Bryan Vasquez’s body was discovered in a lagoon in the Michoud neighborhood. Kirkpatrick said the boy’s cause of death was drowning, worsened by injuries sustained in an alligator attack. “Something’s not right here,” she remarked, acknowledging the troubling details surrounding the case.
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Delayed Emergency Response
Vasquez’s disappearance on August 14 sparked outrage after it was revealed that authorities failed to respond to a 911 call about the missing child for five hours. Kirkpatrick admitted the delay was “unclear” and announced an internal affairs investigation into what caused such a lapse in emergency handling.
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Family Under Scrutiny
Authorities obtained a search warrant for cell phones belonging to Vasquez’s parents, though police have not clarified the reason. “It may mean nothing,” Kirkpatrick explained, noting that examining every possible angle is standard procedure. The family has yet to publicly comment on the search warrant.
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Disappearance Timeline
Bryan, who had a neurodevelopmental condition and could not understand English or Spanish, was last seen leaving his bedroom window around 5 a.m. on August 14. Less than an hour later, security footage captured him wandering nearby streets in only an adult diaper, sparking concerns for his safety.
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Search and Recovery Efforts
The search drew widespread attention, with the volunteer group United Cajun Navy joining police efforts. The group’s drone team eventually located the boy’s body after several days of difficult search conditions. Despite the tragic outcome, a volunteer said, “we were able to bring Bryan home.”
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Ongoing Investigation
Police have classified the case as “unclassified” for now, leaving open the possibility of further developments. Kirkpatrick reiterated that investigators are working to piece together every aspect of Bryan’s disappearance, his death, and the failures in the initial emergency response.