Missing Iowa Teen Corey Brown Is Found Dead: Police

A 13-year-old Iowa boy was found dead days after he left home in the middle of a snowstorm, according to officials. (Marshalltown Police Department)

A 13-year-old Iowa boy was found dead days after he left home in the middle of a snowstorm, according to officials.

Marshalltown Police Chief Michael Tupper said the body of Corey Brown, of Marshalltown, was found at around 10:45 a.m. local time on Jan. 27 in a secluded area on the west side of the city, KCCI reported.

The exact location wasn’t disclosed.

Officials did not reveal many details about the discovery of the body.

Tupper, however, told KCCI that there was no evidence showing that foul play was involved in the teen’s death.

“This is still an active investigation, and all possible scenarios will be thoroughly investigated,” Tupper said.

He was last seen on Tuesday near the Jackie Terrace walking south, the report said. Surveillance footage captured the boy leaving his home hours after he allegedly had a fight with his parents.

Tupper said he and his parents were having a “disciplinary discussion,” and his phone was taken away, reported the Des Moines Register.

That was during the middle of a snowstorm and frigid weather, both of which hampered the search effort. Several inches of snow fell and temperatures dropped to below zero degrees Fahrenheit last week amid his disappearance, according to reports.

“Our hearts bleed for the Brown family,” Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer said after his body was found. “The whole city and all well-wishers will keep them in our thoughts and continue our prayers for them.”

The Marshalltown school district issued a statement, saying counselors are available at Miller Middle School and Marshalltown High School.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the Brown family and those close to Corey. He was loved by many and will be deeply missed,” the statement read.

The Marshalltown Police Department also issued a statement.

“The police department sincerely appreciates the innumerable hours put in by all of these partners during the search for Corey,” police said, according to the Times-Republican. “These agencies all provided exceptionally professional service under very difficult conditions. The public safety team wishes to thank the Marshalltown/Marshall County community for all of their support during this difficult investigation. Our Savior Lutheran Church allowed public safety to operate out of their church for three days. We sincerely appreciate their generous hospitality.

Missing Children

There were 464,324 missing children reported in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center in 2017, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Under federal law, when a child is reported missing to law enforcement they must be entered into the database. In 2016, there were 465,676 entries.

“This number represents reports of missing children. That means if a child runs away multiple times in a year, each instance would be entered into NCIC separately and counted in the yearly total. Likewise, if an entry is withdrawn and amended or updated, that would also be reflected in the total,” the center noted.

Reve Walsh and John Walsh speak during The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children, the Fraternal Order of the Police and the Justice Department's 16th Annual Congressional Breakfast at The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington on May 18, 2011. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)

In 2017, the center said it assisted officers and families with the cases of more than 27,000 missing children. In those cases, 91 percent were endangered runaways, and 5 percent were family abductions.

About one in seven children reported missing to the center in 2017 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.

Missing children typically fall into five categories: kidnapped by a family member, abducted by a nonfamily perpetrator, runaways, those who got lost, stranded, or injured, or those who went missing due to benign reasons, such as misunderstandings, according to a report by the Department of Justice (pdf) in 2017. Reported missing children dropped from 6.5 per 1,000 children in 1999 to 3.1 per 1,000 children in 2013.