ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The body of a 5-year-old Pennsylvania boy with autism was found in a canal about a quarter mile from a relative’s home where the boy wandered away, barefoot and without a coat, during a New Year’s Eve party, authorities announced Saturday.
Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said an autopsy Monday will help determine when Jayliel Vega Batista entered the water at Canal Park in Allentown.
“Preliminarily, this is being considered a tragic accident,” Allentown police Chief Keith Morris said at the same Saturday evening news conference.
In this Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, photo, Allentown, Pa., police use a search and rescue dog in Keck Park as the search continues for Jayliel Vega Batista, a missing 5-year-old autistic boy who wandered off from a New Year's Eve party on Thursday night. (Chris Shipley/The Morning Call via AP) THE EXPRESS-TIMES OUT; WFMZ OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
