Young Boy's Body Discovered Along Remote Maine Road
SOUTH BERWICK, MAINE (AP) - The body of a young boy was found along a remote road in southern Maine, and state police appealed to the public Sunday for help identifying him as investigators tried to determine the circumstances of his death.
An autopsy was to be conducted Sunday afternoon, but officials did not expect a cause or manner of death to be available until later. Detectives also were at the spot where the body was found, along a dirt road off Route 4 outside of South Berwick, said Steve McCausland of the Maine Public Safety Department.
WBZ-TV's Jim Smith reports.
The boy is believed to have been between 4 and 6 years old with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. There were no missing-person reports filed for a boy fitting the description.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports.
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The investigation cannot begin in earnest until the boy is identified, allowing police to talk to parents, guardians and others who knew him, McCausland said.
"The first priority is to identify the boy," said McCausland, adding that a police command post was being set up near the scene where information can be collected and processed.
State police alerted agencies across New England and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in hopes of getting information about the boy, whose body was discovered about 5 p.m. Saturday by a resident.
The boy was wearing a gray camouflage hooded sweat shirt with the brand name "Faded Glory," tan pants, and "Lightning McQueen" black sneakers, McCausland said. He had no information on where the child's body was found, other than beside the road.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)