The body of a young boy who disappeared on New Year’s Eve has been discovered alongside his faithful dog. Johnathan Boley, affectionately known as John John, went missing while playing in the backyard of his father’s residence with his younger brother and their dog, Buck.
Wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants, and Paw Patrol shoes, Johnathan was last seen playing near the fence line with his brother and the dog. Despite a massive search effort covering 500 acres involving 160 volunteers and 126 first responders, the tragic discovery was made too late. On January 2, the child was found deceased, partially in a creek, after his dog guided a search team to his location.
A preliminary autopsy by the Walker County Coroner revealed that Boley succumbed to hypothermia, with no signs of foul play reported. The father, Jameson Kyle Boley, had explosives at his residence, leading to a temporary halt in the search operation for safety precautions. However, the devices were later confirmed to be non-explosive. Boley, facing unrelated charges of unlawful manufacturing, had the children under potential exposure to methamphetamines.
John John and his brother were visiting their father in Alabama from Florida, where they lived with their mother Angel, and were expected to return to her on January 1. This incident echoes a similar tragic discovery in Co Meath, Ireland, where the body of a missing 14-year-old boy was found following an extensive search operation.