Police in Indiana have released a photograph of a suitcase in which the body of a child was found last week in Washington County, Oregon.
According to unsettling reports in The Independent, investigators believe that the deceased child could have been five years old. He was described as a 4ft tall Black male, with a slender build and short haircut.
Newsweek say that the suitcase was recovered on Saturday by a local resident of Washington County who had gone mushroom hunting in dense woodland located in the eastern part of the county.
On Tuesday, authorities released a photo of the suitcase, confirming: “Tragically, the child was located inside a closed hard case suitcase.”
Investigators are hoping the suitcase will lead to more leads and the possible identification of the deceased boy, whose name and details so far remain a mystery.
The suitcase has a Las Vegas design on its front and back, but that hardly narrows down where the child may have come from.
“This obviously could be a national thing,” said Sergeant Carey Huls of the Indiana state police.
“It could be a child from any location. We’re not going to preclude anybody, and we’re going to look at any information that comes in that could answer the question of the identity of this child.”
As per The Independent, a tip line was set up earlier this week on Monday, and has already fielded close to 200 calls.
Authorities told how the majority of those were to do with other missing children and not the case in question, but it’s hoped someone somewhere knows something and will get in contact.
“We just need the public’s help in relaying this information,” Mr Huls said.
Police are also in the process of visiting local schools in the Washington County area to see if there are any students who have stopping attending recently.
What a truly tragic story. My heart goes out for this young boy, and I sincerely hope that the case can be solved quickly, and the perpetrator brought to justice.
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