GALVESTON, Texas (WSVN) — Police in Texas are taking what’s considered to be a drastic measure in order to solve the case of a dead child found on a beach: they are releasing a photo of the deceased boy.
It’s never been done before, but after no one came forward to identify or claim the small child after a sketch of him was released in October of 2017, police said they felt they had no other choice after three months of searching turned up no leads.
“We’re no closer at this point to figuring out who he is,” Galveston Police Captain Joshua Schirard said to Fox 26. “It’s really being done at this point as a last option. We’ve exhausted all the other things that we can do to help get this child identified.”
He was nicknamed “Little Jacob” after his body was found in the water off Galveston beach in October. Detectives said he was between the ages of three and four, yet weighed just half of what a child his age should.
“Autopsy results indicate prior to his death Little Jacob showed signs of neglect and injuries consistent with abuse. However, none of those injuries appear to have been fatal,” Capt. Schirard said.
The autopsy also showed that the little boy did not drown, but was already dead before he went into the water. Investigators believe his body was in the water 12 to 48 hours before he was discovered.
“Based on reverse drift analysis conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Weather Service, it is believed Little Jacob’s body was put in the water locally in the Galveston County area,” Schirard added.
Detectives said they are working on using the boy’s DNA to try to track down any relatives who might be on file in the national DNA database. So far, that method has been unsuccessful.
In the meantime, investigators are asking the public to take what they know will be a difficult look at an actual photo of the dead child that was taken the day he was found, with the hopes someone will recognize him and come forward. To view the photo, click here (please note, the image may be disturbing).
“We continue to believe that someone out there knows this child. Someone has seen him,” the police department wrote in their Facebook post with the photo of Little Jacob. “This child deserves to be identified and properly laid to rest but for this to happen, input from the public is crucial.”
Video below contains graphic images; viewer discretion is advised.
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