Dead Boy Found

Do you know this boy?


This is heartbreaking.



Police seek clues to dead boy
The body was found in South Berwick, but his identity is unknown.



The discovery of a young boy's body along a remote road in South Berwick on Saturday night is being considered suspicious by Maine State Police.


click image to enlargeThis computer-generated image shows what the boy likely looked like and how he was dressed. Police also are looking for a navy blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with an extended cab, full cap over the bed and white license plate. Anyone with information can contact state police at 657-3030 or 911 on a cellphone.

Courtesy Maine State Police

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Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said the fully clothed body was found by a local resident.

McCausland said the death is especially disturbing because police in Maine and New Hampshire have received no reports of a missing boy who fits the description. South Berwick is located in York County, on the border with New Hampshire.

The state Medical Examiner's Office in Augusta performed an autopsy Sunday afternoon. The cause of death has not been released.

Police agencies throughout the country have been notified, as has the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, McCausland said.

"Our main priority today is to identify this boy," McCausland said Sunday afternoon.

Speaking again Sunday night, McCausland said state police have received a few calls, but are hoping for more.

"We've dealt with a lack of news from all the broadcast (television) stations for most of Sunday," he said, "so word wasn't getting out mostly until (Sunday) evening."

According to police, the boy's body was discovered about 5 p.m. Saturday beside Dennett Road.

McCausland said part of Dennett Road is paved, while another, more remote section where the body was found is gravel.

The State Computer Crimes Unit generated a likeness of the boy Sunday. He is 3-foot-8 and weighs 45 pounds. He still has his baby teeth, which means he was likely between 4 and 6 years old, McCausland said.

The boy has dark blond hair and blue eyes.

He was wearing a gray camouflage hooded sweat shirt -- the brand name is Faded Glory -- tan khaki pants, and "Lightning McQueen" black sneakers.

McCausland said the boy's death is considered suspicious simply because of his age and the fact that he has not been reported missing by an adult.

State police detectives have set up a command post in a parking lot along Route 4 in South Berwick.

Police also said they are looking for a navy blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck that may be related to the case. It has an extended cab with a full cap cover over the bed. The truck has a white license plate, but the state is unknown.

"That was seen in the area," McCausland said. "We obviously need to track that down to find out whether it is connected or not connected. We've had some calls as a result of our plea -- and I didn't ask whether it concerned the identity of the boy or the identity of the truck's owner -- but we did get some calls. That's a good sign, and we are looking for more."

Anyone with information on the boy's identity or the pickup truck is asked to call Maine State Police at 657-3030 or 911 on a cellphone