Authorities identified the body found Monday night in the Little Calumet River as that of Kyrin Carter, the 12-year-old boy who had been missing from the area since early May.
In a statement, the Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the body found between 179th Street and Nevada Avenue in Hammond, Indiana, as that of Kyrin, of Kansas City, Missouri.
Kyrin, who had autism, had been last seen on the afternoon of May 15 leaving a Best Western hotel near where his body was found.
Police said several agencies on Friday made the decision to temporarily stop the flow of water in the Little Calumet River “in an attempt to get as deep as possible” in the midst of searching for the boy.
Hammond police said around 8:15 p.m. Monday they received a call from a volunteer kayaker who said he located what appeared to be a body about 300 feet from where Kyrin originally disappeared.
A diving team reached the river and lifted the body out of the water.
Dozens of family members and volunteers had searched around the hotel for days since Kyrin’s disappearance, which occurred when he traveled to Indiana with his mother Danielle Duckworth to attend a family reunion.
Hammond Police will hold a press conference at 11 am to discuss the case.
The family of 12-year-old Kyrin Carter and authorities are asking the public for help as they have not heard from him since the weekend.