Noah McIntosh’s father bought flesh-dissolving acids, faces death penalty for 'torture', murder of 8-year-old
Bryce McIntosh, the father of eight-year-old boy Noah McIntosh who disappeared around March 2019, has been indicted with murder. He could be sentenced with the death penalty after investigations reportedly revealed that he purchased acid following the days of Noah's disappearance. The 33-year-old was previously charged with first-degree murder, four weeks after Noah went missing in Riverside County, according to a report. Detectives at the time had reportedly found traces of evidence that "leave no doubt that Noah is the victim of a homicide" although his body is yet to be discovered. "It is unfortunate and with a heavy heart that I must let the community know that the missing child investigation regarding Noah McIntosh has now been escalated to a homicide case," Corona Police Chief George Johnstone said at the time.
McIntosh and Noah's mother 36-year-old Jillian Godfrey, who lived separately, were arrested and charged with felony child endangerment. McIntosh allegedly refused to let Godfrey see her son, who was living with his father and 11-year-old sister at the time, forcing her to call the police. Investigators at the time had found substantial evidence to arrest both McIntosh and Godfrey for child abuse after executing a search warrant at the former's house on March 13, 2019. Godfrey was not charged with murder or any additional charges. Her bail was set for $500,000 while McIntosh was required to pay $1M to be released before their scheduled court appearances.
The case was delayed a lot all these months but things speeded up after prosecutors convened a grand jury last month, according to a Sun report. An indictment, issued by a California grand jury and unsealed on Friday, charged McIntosh with murder with a special circumstance allegation of torture and willful child cruelty, according to Desert Sun. The special circumstance makes McIntosh eligible for the death penalty, however it is yet to be determined if prosecutors will pursue this.
Detectives believe that Bryce bought highly corrosive, flesh-dissolving liquids following the days of Noah's disappearance. They allege McIntosh bought four gallons of muriatic acid, a 128-ounce bottle of drain cleaner, a 32-ounce bottle of sulphuric acid drain opener, long-cuffed gloves, bolt cutters, and a 32-gallon trash can. His computer searches reportedly included "what kind of plastic can stand uriatic [sic] acid?
He also searched, "what exactly is sulphuric acid?" as well as sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, which can be used to liquefy dead bodies. After searching an area of waste ground near Aguanga on March 16, detectives found a bin like the one McIntosh allegedly searched for online. A piece of paper with "Noah M" written on it along with several purple latex gloves and parts of a blender were also recovered, according to a report. District Attorney spokesman John Hall also said investigators found latex gloves, empty bottles of drain cleaner, and a trash bag with residue inside that appeared to be blood. Bryce McIntosh’s next court appearance is in February 2021.