Ohio teen Harley Dilly's body found more than three weeks after he went missing
PORT CLINTON, OHIO: State officials announced on Tuesday that the search for Harley Dill has been canceled and that the 14-year-old "has now been recovered."
The Ohio Attorney General's Office released a rather vague statement to media outlets saying the "child has been recovered." However, they did not release any further details. Although it was not clear from the statement whether the child was dead or alive, a member of the Dilly family shared in a post on Facebook that police had confirmed that Harley was found dead on Monday.
On December 20, the teenager was seen walking to school before he mysteriously went missing.
According to News 5 Cleveland, there was a heavy police presence near the residence of 14-year-old Harley on Monday night.
Investigators searched an unoccupied house on East 5th Street, per Port Clinton police dispatch. The house is located across the street from Dilly's family home.
While the teenager was last seen leaving his house on the morning of December 20, he reportedly did not make it to school that day. The following weeks saw the FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service join hands with the Port Clinton Police Department to aid the said investigation. The operation prompted local volunteers to organize a search for the missing teen themselves.
It initially began as a search by local authorities, but soon grabbed the attention of state and federal agencies and became a nationwide manhunt for the teenager. Thousands of flyers were distributed across the state and country since Harley's disappearance, and his case was even featured on popular shows like "Good Morning America" and "LIVE PD."
Rescue teams assisted the police as they searched over 150 acres of land around Port Clinton.
Meanwhile, Harley's embattled family made several desperate pleas on social media as well as mainstream news channels begging for their son to return home. They also urged the community to reserve judgment of the family until the investigation concluded.
Furthermore, Port Clinton advised several times that they had no reason to believe the family was involved in Harley's disappearance and that they were fully cooperating with the probe.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.