Ares Muse: Mystery deepens over boy, 2, found dead mile from home after crawling out at night as dad slept
OKEMAH, OKLAHOMA: A two-year-old boy was found dead near his family's home after disappearing while his father slept on Monday, September 12. Ares Muse was found dead hours after he allegedly disappeared from his home at night. Ares was last seen around 1.30 am Monday at his home on tribal land, the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthouse Police Department confirmed. The boy may have left the home in Okemah, Oklahoma, between 1.30 am and 6.30 am that morning.
Nikita, the father of Ares, claimed that his son crawled into bed with his parents, but when they woke up, he had disappeared. Authorities tried to find him while a multi-agency search operation was launched. The search lasted more than 12 hours and Ares' body was found at about 6.pm Monday about a half-mile from the house. The cause of death has not yet been released.
READ MORE
Utah 'farmer' Dylan Rounds, 19, still missing after two months, mom convinced of foul play
Where is Dylan Rounds? Search for missing 19-year-old Utah 'farmer' continues
KTUL reports that more than 20 agencies were involved in the search for Ares after he disappeared. An official investigation is underway, but authorities have not said the case is criminal in nature. Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Nation, said the boy's family is cooperating with law enforcement.
Salsman also said that Ares unlocked three different locks to escape on the day he went missing, The Sun reported. “We talked all day long about wanting a good outcome, and we didn’t get that,” Salsman said. "It’s unfortunate, but that doesn’t take away from the effort and from how we need to be there in our hearts and minds for this family.”
The agencies involved in the search were from the tribal, local, state, and federal levels, Eric Foster, who is with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, revealed. "We hate to be able to give news like this, it’s very unfortunate. But we do come together,” Foster said. “And we had a lot of citizens reach out as well wanting to help, and that’s just Oklahoma and we are proud to be a part of that.”
Brandi Gaither, reportedly a grandmother of the boy, has started a GoFundMe to support the family during their tough times. "My name is Brandi and we lost our beloved grandson. I am asking for help for the family with the funeral costs and whatever they need help with. Ares was a sweet boy. Just short of his 3rd birthday. He loved his mom, dad and sister very much and was a second son to his aunt. The hole that is left in all our hearts will never be filled," the page reads. At the time of writing this article, $1,315 USD had been raised of the $5,000 goal.
