BOSTON – The body of a missing 4-year-old boy was recovered by the Massachusetts State Police on the shore of Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor Monday afternoon, according to reports.
Mohamed Abou Fofana went missing from Castle Island Sunday evening. The small child from South Boston was under the supervision of his grandfather when he disappeared. His body was found across the channel on Spectacle Island at about 12:30 p.m. Monday by a state police marine unit, reported BOSTON.com.
“With much sadness,” Massachusetts State Police announced the heartbreaking discovery Monday, adding that its “detective unit for Suffolk County will conduct the follow up death investigation.”
“We express our deepest condolences to his family,” state police wrote.
The boy and his 7-year-old sister came to a park on Castle Island with their grandfather, Soleymane Fofana, shortly after 7 p.m. on Sunday. The grandfather said he was on a phone call while the children were playing.
“I shut the phone off, and I said let me take Mohamed and his sister to the house, I call his sister to come, I said ‘where’s your brother?’” Soleymane Fofana told WCVB.
The grandfather called 911 at approximately 7:30 p.m. Family members told WCVB that the boy had autism and was not able to communicate.
Massachusetts State Police, Boston Police Department, Massachusetts Environmental Police, Boston Fire Department, and Boston Emergency Medical Services all participated in the massive search operation.
Department of Conservation and Recreation surveillance footage showed the child leaving the playground “not accompanied by his adult relative at that point, and then he goes off-screen, and you don’t see him again in the footage,” state police spokesperson David Procopio told WCVB.
“Our community is in mourning following the tragic news that Mohamed Fofana, a pre-K student of the Lee K-8 School community, has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and school community during this difficult time,” Boston Public Schools said in a statement on Monday, Fox News reported.
