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DA: Recovered body "consistent" with missing Mass. boy, 5

BOSTON - Investigators believe that the body of a small child found Friday morning in Sterling, Mass., may be that of a 5-year-old boy missing since last September, reports CBS Boston.

The station reports that an autopsy will be performed on the deceased child. Worcester County District Attorney Joe Early said the body is "consistent in height and weight with Jeremiah Oliver" of Fitchburg, Mass.

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The body was found just off Route 190 in Sterling, Mass. Friday. CBS Boston
Early told reporters Friday that the body was discovered "wrapped in a blanket-type object" in a "suitcase, duffle bag-type material" about 40 feet off Interstate 190 in Sterling, according to the station. Authorities would not say who found the body or how long it might have been at that location.

Last month, a grand jury indicted Elsa Oliver, 28, and boyfriend Alberto Sierra, 23, on charges including kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and reckless endangerment for their alleged involvement in Jeremiah's disappearance, according to CBS Boston. They are being held on high bail. Three other people allegedly involved with the case are charged with interfering with a criminal investigation and misleading police.

Three Department of Children and Families (DCF) workers were fired and a fourth was disciplined in the aftermath of the child's disappearance, CBS Boston reports. The DCF was handling the family's case, but an internal investigation found that staff missed multiple opportunities to engage with the family.


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