“Unfortunately, this is not the result we had all hoped for.” In a statement, Boise Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with Matthew’s family.”
Police say they have found the body of a boy who went missing in Idaho while at his birthday party.
The Boise Police Department said on Facebook on Tuesday, August 6, that searchers “believe” they have found the body of missing 5-year-old Matthew Glynn in the water about “half a mile” north of the street where his house was. Glynn had been reported missing the day before.
“Unfortunately, this is not the result we had all hoped for.” In a statement, Boise Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said, “Our hearts go out to Matthew’s family, and we send our deepest condolences during this very difficult time.”
Police said Glynn “walked away from home near Alamosa and State Street” on August 5 at 5:25 p.m. local time and had not been seen since. Police said in an X (formerly Twitter) post about his loss that he was “nonverbal” and wearing “gray Batman pajamas” when he went missing. Fox 13, KTVB, and USA Today all reported that police said Glynn was at a party enjoying his birthday when he went missing.
After the boy went missing, Boise Police, Boise Fire, and Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue started looking for him with drones, K9s, and UTVs. Ron Christensen with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue told ABC News that the UTVs played “Wheels on the Bus” to attract Glynn.
Chief Ron Winegar of the Boise Police Department told KTVB at a news conference, “When you have an autistic subject that’s nonverbal, they tend to show preferences and behaviors that are potentially a little bit more predictable.” “So, we employed some of those strategies that we had been given.”
There were “canals, rivers, and other areas” that the police searched near the house. The Ada County Child Abduction Response Team also “searched door to door” in the area where Glynn was last seen.
In a statement, Winegar said, “The water was at first our biggest concern and a big part of our work.” “We are very sad about what happened today.”
A body was found, and police said the Ada County Coroner’s Office is working to make an “official identification.” The investigation is “ongoing,” they said.
KIVI-TV reports that Winegar told reporters, “At this point [we do] not have any indication of foul play or any indication there was anything other than a tragic accident.”
“Heartbroken,” the boy’s mother told KTVB when she heard that her son had died. She is still trying to figure out what happened.
