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A missing 12-year-old lad with autism apt died pursuing an alligator attack, constabulary said Wednesday. A astir two-week-long hunt resulted successful his assemblage being recovered successful a New Orleans canal this week.
Bryan Vasquez was archetypal reported missing connected the greeting of Aug. 14, aft helium reportedly escaped done a chamber model connected the East broadside of the city, the New Orleans Police Department said. Vasquez, who is nonverbal, was seen connected doorbell camera footage, wearing lone a diaper and walking down the thoroughfare alone, astir 5:20 a.m. section clip that morning. His assemblage was recovered connected Tuesday, located by a drone.
The boy's mother, Hilda Vasquez, had told The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune that her lad would often sneak distant from their location to caput to a playground nearby. However, they'd precocious moved to a caller house.
Bryan's disappearance prompted a monolithic hunt that included aggregate agencies, volunteers, airboats and bloodhounds.
Neighbors and friends of the Vasquez household searched Village De L'East successful New Orleans, connected Aug. 17, 2025, for Bryan Vasquez, property 12.
John McCusker / AP
As section and authorities crews combed the area, disapproval mounted implicit the New Orleans Police Department's delayed response. Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said that determination was a astir five-hour spread betwixt erstwhile the lad was reported missing and an serviceman arriving astatine the scene. The lad was recovered astir 200 yards from wherever the hunt had started. Kirkpatrick said it is imaginable his assemblage resurfaced aft helium died, which is communal successful drowning deaths.
A constabulary section spokesperson confirmed to CBS News successful an email Wednesday that the Orleans Parish Coroner determined Bryan's origin of decease "was drowning with blunt trauma accordant with an alligator attack."
As a result, the lawsuit has present transitioned from a missing juvenile probe to an unclassified decease probe led by the constabulary department's homicide division, the spokesperson said.
"Detectives are actively pursuing each pb and reviewing each circumstances surrounding Bryan's death," the spokesperson disclosed. "At this time, nary idiosyncratic has been charged oregon identified arsenic a suspect. The probe remains unfastened and active, and updates volition beryllium shared arsenic they are confirmed."
In a abstracted quality release, metropolis officials described Bryan arsenic "a bright, charismatic, and energetic young lad whose joyousness and tone touched the lives of his family, friends and community."
Kirkpatrick said she has asked the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to region "nuisance" alligators from the country wherever Bryan was found.
According to the wildlife agency, hunters seizure and region much than 1,000 nuisance alligators each twelvemonth successful an effort to minimize encounters betwixt the alligators and humans. Louisiana is location to the largest alligator colonisation successful the country.
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