Cause of death revealed for young boy found in a suitcase by a mushroom hunter in the Indiana woods
An autopsy for a young boy found dead in a suitcase in southern Indiana showed he died from an electrolyte imbalance, Indiana State Police said Friday.
The child's death from electrolyte imbalance was most likely due to gastroenteritis, or, in other words, vomiting and diarrhea, leading to dehydration, Sgt. Carey Huls said at a news conference.
Police have said the child's body was discovered by a mushroom hunter in a heavily wooded area in Washington County on April 16. Investigators believe the child was 5 years old but they don't know where he died.
The child was clean, clothed and appeared to be well cared for, Huls said. The autopsy and toxicology reports says there was an "absence of significant traumatic injuries", and there was "no anatomical cause of death."
Investigators have checked a national database for missing children but have found no match, Huls said. They believe the child died sometime within the week before he was found.
Police have created a special tip line for people to share information about the child, 1-888-437-6432.
"Someone knows who this child is," Huls said. "He didn't show up in Washington County in a suitcase by himself."
Investigators "are not ruling out the possibility that the child could be from out of state or even out of the country," Huls said.
A photo of the suitcase provided by state police showed it had a distinctive Las Vegas design on its front and back.