![\"Missing](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Ce_r4HvNnsDGyOXAFyfvTGLJ5Ck=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(853x472:855x474):format(webp)\/bryan-vasquez-missing-081625-6c6ed2bcf21d42b3836df3d3b7ffd700.jpg\")
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Bryan Vasquez, a 12-year-old boy with a severe brain condition, has been found dead<\/p>\n
An urgent search was launched for the boy who was reported missing on Thursday, Aug. 14<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, his remains were found in a lagoon<\/p>\n
Bryan Vasquez, a 12-year-old boy with a severe brain condition who went missing from his New Orleans home 12 days ago, has been found dead in a lagoon.
\nVasquez’s body was found on Tuesday, Aug. 26, after a “thermal drone picked up a heat signature” and “found human remains out in the marsh,” Brian Trascher, the vice president and spokesperson for the United Cajun Navy, tells PEOPLE.
\nFollowing the discovery, the nonprofit sent the coordinates to state police so a boat could be sent to recover the remains. Later that day, police confirmed that the body was that of the 12-year-old child.
\n“This is indeed a profoundly sad day, but a day for some closure,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick said at a press conference aired by FOX affiliate WVUE.
\nKirkpatrick confirmed that the United Cajun Navy’s drone located his remains about 200 yards into the marsh, not far from where he was reported missing. She said that she’d personally spoken with the boy’s mother and “extended our apologies, as well as our condolences.”<\/p>\n
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She also addressed the fact that there was a five-hour gap between the first report that Vasquez was missing and when the New Orleans Police Department responded, according to NBC affiliate WDSU.
\n“We know that we had a five-hour delay,” Kirkpatrick said. “We immediately opened up an internal investigation, which is a formal investigation on ourselves for that time delay.”
\n“I have said to the public that I will get back with the outcome of that investigation,” she continued, according to WVUE. “I have never shied away from difficult situations, or difficult topics, or difficult questions. And I plan to answer all questions, but we must have facts in context before I know fully what actually happened.”
\nAn investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing and foul play has not been ruled out, Kirkpatrick said.
\nIn a press release sent around later that day, police said they will be looking into “all circumstances” surrounding his death, which remains unclassified.
\nAn autopsy will be performed by the Orleans Parish Coroner to determine his exact cause of death.
\nThe New Orleans Police Department and Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
\nAuthorities said Vasquez was discovered missing from his home after he climbed out of his bedroom window around 10 a.m. on Aug. 14. Police did not respond until 3 p.m. that day, WVUE reported.
\nVasquez, who had a neurodevelopmental disorder and did not understand English or Spanish, was last seen wearing only an adult diaper, according to the Times-Picayune and a Louisiana State Police press release.
\nSurveillance video showed him less than a mile from his house on Sevres Street.
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\nHis family had recently moved to a different home in the neighborhood and Bryan was known to try to escape, according to the Times-Picayune. His mother had not yet put the same security measures in place that were used at their previous home as she cared for three other children, including a newborn, the outlet reported.
\nAs search efforts continued, police asked neighbors to review home surveillance and check sheds or other places a child might try to hide.
\nFour or five days into the search, the United Cajun Navy joined the search operation.
\n“We had canine dogs, we had drones, we had sonar equipment on boats,” says Trascher, whose team dragged the lagoon over the weekend. “We were kind of perplexed as to why the dogs were hitting this one spot,” he says. “We just couldn’t find anything.”
\nThen, they brought in the thermal drone, resulting in the end of the days-long search.<\/p>\n
Although Trascher says he knows “exactly where” the boy went into the water, the circumstances around his death remain unclear. He believes an alligator was involved, but he can’t say for sure.
\n“I can surmise what happened to him then. I don’t know if he panicked and started splashing and the gator got to him and dragged him off, or if he drowned first,” he said. “I don’t know.”
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\nIn a statement, the City of New Orleans remembered Vasquez as “a beloved child whose life, though far too short, left a lasting impression on all who knew him.”
\n“Bryan was a bright, charismatic, and energetic young boy whose joy and spirit touched the lives of his family, friends, and community,” the city continued, extending its thanks to the many agencies and volunteers who helped look for the little boy.
\n“Bryan\u2019s memory will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved him, and his light will continue to shine as a reminder of resilience, innocence, and love,” officials wrote. “May he rest in God\u2019s eternal peace.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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