Lucian Munguia: Body of missing autistic boy, 5, recovered from Yakima River 3 months after disappearance
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON: A five-year-old boy with autism who went missing in September has been found dead in the Yakima River, according to Yakima Police Department. Lucian Munguia’s body was discovered by a resident who was walking their dog on December 29, Thursday, near the Yakima River, the authorities said.
On December 30, an autopsy conducted on the discovered remains determined the body was of a 5-year-old child, who was last seen on September 10 at Yakima's Sarg Hubbard Park. Police and the county coroner’s office confirmed the body is of the 5-year-old after a comparison of the non-verbal child's dental records.
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Stating that there was no evidence proving foul play in the missing incident, Jim Curtice, the Yakima County Coroner said Munguia had accidentally drowned in the river. The authorities have also pointed out that further details will be shared after the completion of the DNA test and also mentioned they do not believe that any criminal acts resulted in the death of the child.
According to the New York Post, a massive search effort was initiated by the community after the missing child's family reported to authorities about his disappearance 15 minutes after they began their search in the beginning.
“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 DJ Goldsmith, who was part of the search efforts. He stated that given the nature of the river in Washington, it was not abnormal for the search for Lucian conducted for nearly four months.
A reward of $10,000 was offered for those providing information to find Munguia. An in-depth search was undertaken by rescue teams from multiple neighboring counties and an FBI dive team at the park's pond and other water bodies nearby. The child's family and volunteer did not stop their search despite cops gradually stepping back from their search efforts.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Lucian,” cops said and offered their condolences to the deceased child's family following the tragic discovery of his body from the river.