The body of four-year-old Johnathan Everett Boley, known to his family as "John-John," was discovered in a heartbreaking position alongside his dog.
Johnathan had been reported missing on New Year's Eve after wandering away from his father's property near Jasper, Alabama, while playing outside with his dog, Buck, Fox News reported.
A multi-day search for the boy, which involved hundreds of law enforcement officers, volunteers, K-9 teams, and aerial support, came to a devastating end on January 2, when his body was found.
The search had been focused on several square miles of wooded land, about two miles from his father, Jameson Boley’s home.
Johnathan's dog, Buck, was discovered alive and by his side when authorities located the boy's remains, partially submerged in a body of water, according to The Sun.
No signs of trauma or assault-type injuries were found during a preliminary coroner’s report, though an autopsy was performed, and the cause of death remains under investigation.
“We’ve got to work this thing all the way through to make sure it was just an accident or if there was more to the story,” Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said during a press conference.
He emphasized that probes were ongoing, with both state officials and the FBI processing evidence at the scene.
Authorities also revealed that an Amber Alert was not issued for Johnathan when he went missing. This was due to the lack of evidence suggesting the child had been abducted, as required by law.
The Arrest of Johnathan’s Father
Amid the search for Johnathan, his father, Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, was arrested on charges unrelated to his son’s disappearance.
Investigators found precursor materials at Boley’s property, which led to his arrest on charges of unlawful manufacture of a destructive device.
Per the Walker County District Court, Boley was accused of possessing substances with the intent to unlawfully manufacture a destructive device or bacteriological weapon.
While Sheriff Smith assured the public that these charges were not connected to the child’s death, Boley’s arrest has raised further questions.
“At this time, there is no evidence indicating foul play in the child’s death, and these charges should not be conflated with the search for Johnathan,” Smith clarified.
Johnathan's parents, who were separated, had a custody arrangement that allowed Jameson to have five days a year with his children.
The young boy had been visiting his father in Alabama for the holidays when the tragedy occurred.
His mother, Angel Boley, lives in Florida, where she works as the director of guest services at DaySpring Camp & Conference Center in Parrish.
The tight-knit community in Florida expressed its grief over the loss, with staff members of DaySpring Camp recalling Johnathan’s positive presence.
The Diocese of Southwest Florida also held a candlelight vigil in memory of the young boy, with Reverend Douglas Scharf expressing the sorrow felt by everyone: “For so many of us, our hearts are broken over the tragic loss," per Fox13.
Our thoughts are with Jameson's loved ones at this time.