Authorities are weighing in on what possibly killed a 12-year-old. They believe an alligator killed the young boy after he went missing from his home in New Orleans.
Authorities later found his body in a lagoon a week later. A coroner determined the preliminary cause of death to be due to blunt force trauma from an alligator and drowning. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick described the working theory on what killed Bryan Vasquez.
Speaking with The Times-Picayune, Kirtpatrick says that she believes an alligator attacked Bryan and then drowned him.
"We know that these are difficult outcomes, and we still have quite a grieving community and a grieving family," Kirkpatrick said.
That being said, authorities are still investigating the case. They first discovered his body on August 26 after a thermal drone found signs of Bryan. His body was located about 200 yards into a lagoon, which wasn't far from where he first went missing.
Alligator Attacked And Killed Missing Boy
"This is indeed a profoundly sad day, but a day for some closure," Kirkpatrick said.
"We know that we had a five-hour delay," Kirkpatrick said. "We immediately opened up an internal investigation, which is a formal investigation on ourselves for that time delay."
It appears that the boy climbed out of his bedroom window. He then entered the lagoon where an alligator attacked and sadly killed him. Bryan suffered from a neurodevelopmental disorder. He did not speak English and was only wearing an adult diaper.
The City of New Orleans remembered the boyas "a beloved child whose life, though far too short, left a lasting impression on all who knew him."
"Bryan was a bright, charismatic, and energetic young boy whose joy and spirit touched the lives of his family, friends, and community," they also added.
