Body Found in Trunk Identified as Missing 5-Year-Old Wisconsin Boy

Lorenz Duchamps
By Lorenz Duchamps
April 16, 2020US News
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Body Found in Trunk Identified as Missing 5-Year-Old Wisconsin Boy
Sagal Hussein in an undated booking photo. (Brown County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Authorities in Wisconsin confirmed that the body of a child found in a car late March is the son of the vehicle’s owner.

An autopsy report on Wednesday confirmed that the body of a boy, who had not been seen since November 2019, is that of 5-year-old Josias Marquez. His body was found in the trunk of his mother’s car on March 31, police said.

Marquez’s official cause of death is currently unknown, an attorney with the Brown County District said.

The boy’s mother, 26-year-old Sagal Hussein, is currently being held in Brown County jail on a $500,000 bond. No formal charges have been filed against her.

A judge in the Brown County Circuit Court, where Hussein appeared on April 15, gave the state two weeks to file a criminal complaint, WLUK-TV reported.

It is not clear who the attorney assigned to Hussein is, as the state public defender’s office in Green Bay declined to comment on the case.

Hussein’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 29.

Missing for Months

Authorities with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office were called to Hussein’s home in the Village of Howard in Green Bay on Jan. 26, after a neighbor called because two of her other children were reportedly left unsupervised outside.

After responding officers arrived at the home, the eldest child told police her mother left them alone the other night and that the child also did not know where she was.

Once police found Hussein, she told the officers the children were alone for only about 40 minutes.

Brown County Child Protective Services later took the two children into temporary custody, Crimeonline reported.

Authorities later learned that Hussein also has a third child, who she initially claimed was with the father in another state, but officers were unable to confirm that.

According to officials, the 5-year-old boy had not been seen since November 2019 by anyone but Hussein.

Hussein was later arrested on March 30 due to the inaccuracies and her lack of cooperation, officials said.

A search warrant was issued for her residence and vehicle and Marquez’s body was found the next day in the trunk of her car.

Hussein’s mother, Amal Ismal, said she was in shock after learning about the news. She said her daughter is a loving mother and she didn’t kill her own son.

“What I know is my daughter, Sagal, is that she was a loving mother and she didn’t kill her own son and what I believe is it was not her intention to hurt or kill her own child,” Ismal said.

Marquez’s grandmother said the boy was born with several medical conditions, was blind, and suffered severe seizures.

Hussein’s other two children are currently in foster care, Ismal said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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