LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A note carried to a Las Vegas elementary school Tuesday morning led to the discovery of a young child's body at an east Las Vegas home, police said.
A teacher contacted Clark County School District Police after receiving a note from one of her students, said Lt. Ray Spencer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In the note, the girl's mother said she was being held against her will and was concerned about her preschool-aged son, whom she said she'd not seen since Dec. 11.
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LVMPD officers went to surveil the girl's home in the 4300 block of Saddle Brook Park Drive (near Lamb Boulevard and Carey Avenue) and, at approximately 10 a.m., officers saw a man and woman leaving the residence in a vehicle, Spencer said. Police stopped the car and brought both its occupants in for questioning.
Police are still piecing together what happened, but Spencer says the children's mother described being abused by her boyfriend. Police were told he did not allow her to leave the home or enter the garage. She told them she was worried her son might be deceased, Spencer said.
Once detectives were able to search the home, they discovered the body of a preschool-aged boy in a freezer in the garage. Spencer said he looked to have been dead since early December.
The elementary-aged child who'd brought the note to school was placed into the care of other family members, with the assistance of Child Protective Services, Spencer said.
The precise age of either child was not given.
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"It's still very early on in this investigation, and we have a lot of questions that we do not have the answer to," Spencer said.
He asked that anyone with information call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 to make an anonymous and confidential report.
"I also urge anybody who is going through situations where you feel that you cannot handle a child, you can bring that child to a hospital, you can bring that child to a fire station, you can call 211," he said. "There are a lot of resources out there so we are not out here discussing such a tragic situation that I'm talking about right now."
The woman's boyfriend was arrested for kidnapping. Spencer said an additional charge of open murder will be forthcoming.
- National Domestic Violence helpline: 1-800-799-7233
- Crisis Support Services of Nevada domestic violence hotline: 775-221-7600 (or text SASS to 839863)
