Las Vegas Police said on Monday the body of a child found by hikers on May 28 was that of a seven-year-old boy missing from San Jose.
Police are now searching for the boy’s mother, considered a suspect.
A hiker found the body of Liam Husted at a trailhead between Las Vegas and Pahrump. Authorities believe he had recently been placed there but declined to provide more information about the boy’s death due to the investigation.
The boy was last seen in the San Jose area on May 24 with his mom, 35-year-old Samantha Moreno Rodriguez. She was reported checking into a hotel near Denver on May 31 and is believed to be driving a blue 2007 Dodge Caliber with California license plate 6WLH211.
Police continue to search for Rodriguez. The FBI is assisting.
Husted's father initially reported him missing on June 1. He's not considered a suspect in the case, police added.
A friend of the family thought the boy, previously unidentified, looked like Husted and presented photographs to investigators in San Jose, who in turn notified authorities in Las Vegas. Husted was "clearly the victim of a homicide," Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer said on Monday.
Previously, the body had been misidentified as that of an eight-year-old boy, triggering a search for the boy’s father.
That boy was later found safe.
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