LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — 13 Action News was able to view a large, rectangular hole in the backyard of a home where a young child's body was found on Tuesday.
A neighbor, who asked not to be publicly identified, said the hole appeared over the past month but they didn't think much of it until news broke that the child's body had been discovered.
The child's body was found in a freezer inside the garage of a home in the 4300 block of Saddle Brook Park Drive (near the intersection of Carey Avenue and Lamb Boulevard in east Las Vegas).
Police say they were alerted that the child was missing after his older sister came to elementary school with a note from her mother. The children's mother claimed she was being held against her will by a boyfriend and had not seen her preschool-aged son since at least Dec. 11.
She said had not been allowed to leave the house or enter the garage, and feared her son might be dead, said Lt. Ray Spencer with LVMPD's Homicide Section.
Officers were dispatched on Tuesday morning and soon saw a man and woman leaving the home in a vehicle. The woman's boyfriend, since identified as 35-year-old Brandon Toseland, was arrested.
.@LVMPD shared the mug shot of 35-year-old Brandon Toseland.
— KTNV 13 Action News (@KTNV) February 23, 2022
He faces an open murder charge and 2 kidnapping charges after a boy's body was found in a garage freezer at a home in east Las Vegas. https://t.co/fQ6w1QKY4T pic.twitter.com/t1GiWneayM
MORE: Mother's boyfriend accused of murdering Las Vegas boy found dead in freezer
Later that day, police were able to search the home and discovered the young boy's body. He's believed to have been dead since early December, Spencer said.
Toseland faces charges of kidnapping and open murder. In a court hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors said the child's body had obvious physical injuries. The results of an autopsy had not been publicly released as of this report.
Detectives have not commented publicly on the discovery of the hole in the backyard, or what connection it might have to their investigation.
Anyone with any information asked to call authorities at 702-828-3521 or email homicide@lvmpd.com.
To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or submit a tip online at crimestoppersofnv.com.
