Body of 5-Year-Old Boy Who Vanished in September Found in Washington River
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After a months-long search, 5-year-old boy Lucian Munguia was found dead in a Washington river.
Lucian, who had autism, was reported missing from Sarg Hubbard Park on Sept. 10, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic. On Friday, police shared that his body had been found in the Yakima river.
Authorities were contacted on Thursday after a passerby spotted what looked like human remains in the river, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported. The area is located about 7.5 miles from where the boy went missing, per the newspaper.
Upon their arrival, officials found skeletal remains at the scene, police said in a statement.
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Using a comparison of dental records, authorities determined that the remains belonged to the 5-year-old child, police said.
The coroner determined his cause of death was accidental drowning, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
There is no evidence of foul play, police said, adding that more details will be released once DNA testing is completed.
Yakima Police Department/Twitter Lucian Munguia
Lucian was last seen on the evening of Sept. 10, heading across a parking lot toward the river, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic. After 15 minutes of searching, family members contacted police for help.
"Within a minute, just a blink of an eye, he was gone," the boy's mother, Sandra Munguia, told ABC affiliate KVEW at the time.
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Sandra told the outlet that her husband had just arrived and was changing their daughter's diaper while Lucian and his brother got out of the car to play on a nearby hill, which she said was visible from their location.
"He left the park by himself. That's what we know for a fact," Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray told KVEW.
Following an extensive search, which included an FBI dive team, efforts were scaled back in September.
In October, loved ones gathered together for a vigil on Lucian's fifth birthday.
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Speaking with the Yakima Herald-Republic, a fire official said the river where Lucian's remains were found is difficult to search.
"Even though we give 100% effort to locate things, including using infrared drones, there are so many tributaries and multiple places where things can get hung up," said Yakima Deputy Fire Chief D.J. Goldsmith, according to the newspaper.
"We did everything we could, but it was a tragedy that we couldn't do something else," Goldsmith added.
Lucian's family plans to make his funeral open to the public and are still in the process of making arrangements.
"It would be really awesome to see all the people who loved Lucian, who were touched by Lucian," his mother told KVEW. "And it would just be such a great honor for him to have all these people there."
Speaking with the outlet, the boy's aunt said, "Lucian touched a lot of people's hearts."
"Don't forget that compassion that you felt for him and the love that you felt for him," she added.
