Remains Found in Shallow Grave Believed to Be Those of Missing 14-Year-Old Boy

Lorenz Duchamps
By Lorenz Duchamps
July 20, 2020US News
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Remains Found in Shallow Grave Believed to Be Those of Missing 14-Year-Old Boy
Jonathan "Johnny" Adams, a 14-year-old boy from Connecticut in a file photo. (Courtesy of Hampshire County Sheriff's Office)

Human remains recovered from a shallow grave in West Virginia are believed to belong to a 14-year-old boy who went missing nearly a week ago, authorities said.

The remains were found July 18 around 11 a.m. in a densely wooded area in Augusta, central Hampshire County, near the location Jonathan “Johnny” Adams went missing, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said in a statement.

“Investigators located a shallow grave containing a set of human remains, believed to be that of Adams,” the office said.

“The remains were located in a heavily wooded area, near the location the victim was reported missing last Sunday morning,” it continued. “The area of the recovery was extremely difficult to access due to heavy underbrush.”

A 16-year-old suspect, who is also a relative of the victim, has been taken into custody on a burglary charge, the department said. Police did not confirm any charges in connection to the death of Adams.

The teen suspect’s identity has not been released and police said the investigation is ongoing. “The investigation still continues into the events surround the child’s death,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Johnny’s loved ones during this difficult time.”

The remains have been taken to the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Charleston pending autopsy results.

The teen’s disappearance prompted a massive search that included the FBI and several other local law enforcement agencies, police said.

The boy had no cellphone or other electronic device with him when he disappeared on July 12, authorities said. His family also wasn’t able to provide a fixed clothing description for Adams, factors which added difficulty to the search.

“An area of approximately 130 acres was thoroughly searched by foot and with the assistance of a bloodhound K-9 unit,” HCSO officials said. In addition, a dive team also spent multiple hours using special sonar equipment searching for the boy.

Adams’s family at first offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the teen’s whereabouts. But as the search went on, that reward was increased to $20,000 on July 17, according to an HCSO statement.

The teen is originally from Connecticut but had been staying with relatives in West Virginia since March amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, according to the HCSO.

His aunt, Beatrice Adams, paid tribute to the boy on Facebook following the discovery over the weekend.

“Why! Why! Why! Johnny is gone forever, no more Johnny! He is resting with Jesus now,” she wrote, adding multiple pictures of the boy. “Our family is facing yet another tragedy! We lost our little Johnny. He is no more.”

One of Adams’s cousins, Khari Changasie, said he had to capture his emotions in writing his tribute, which was reposted by Beatrice.

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