The search for a missing Texas toddler ended with a tragic discovery Tuesday morning after officials located a body in a dumpster that matched the description of 2-year-old Frankie Gonzalez.
Officials located the body near Parklake Baptist Church in Waco around 8 a.m., approximately two and a half miles from Cameron Park where Gonzalez was reported missing Monday afternoon, KWTX reported.
Gonzalez was last seen that day around 2 p.m. by his mother Laura Sanchez, who told officials the boy disappeared after visiting the restrooms under a bridge in the park. Sanchez said at the time she only turned away briefly before notifying her son missing.
Authorities have now charged Sanchez on Tuesday with first-degree felony injury to a child, KXXV reported. Sanchez led detectives to the dumpster where they located the body of the child, authorities said.
“Frankie did not die of natural causes,” Waco Police Department (WPD) officer Garen Bynum said
Detectives added the dumpster Sanchez led them to was located next to what appeared to be a “two-vehicle garage with a surveillance camera,” KWTX reported.
Bynum said the body that was recovered is most likely Gonzalez, who was at the center of an Amber Alert. Officials said they will provide an update as soon as it becomes available and after the examiner’s office conducted an autopsy on the body.
“This is a very tragic thing we’re having to deal with,” Bynum said. “We’re all parents as well.”
Police earlier described Gonzalez at the time of the search as a Caucasian male, approximately 2 feet 6 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. The boy was wearing a red Mickey Mouse shirt, gray pants, and black and white Nike sneakers at the time he went missing.
A statewide Amber Alert was issued for the toddler by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday after officials conducted an hours-long search across the park without a positive outcome.
Local news outlet KWTX reported a helicopter joined the search on Monday, as well as SWAT team members, a bloodhound team, and trained K-9s in the hope of locating the child.
Authorities called off the search Monday evening around 8:30 p.m. and planned to continue Tuesday early in the morning. Authorities located the child’s body in the dumpster shortly afterward that morning.
Cameron Park
Cameron Park is one of the state’s largest metropolitan parks, according to the website of the city of Waco.
The park is situated near to the Brazos River and inside an oasis with towering trees, two rivers, and cliffs.
Hikers and bikers share the park with fishermen, disc golfers, and picnickers. Many outdoor school activities are held at the park’s zoo.
