9-year-old found dead in New Kensington
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) — A 9-year-old was found dead in New Kensington on Wednesday.
The boy's body was discovered covered with a chair behind a shed in a wooded area close to where he lived along Haser Street.
"I searched the hills and when I came in behind the shed and saw the chair flipped over and I got closer, I saw the feet hanging over the -- feet hanging out from underneath the chair," said Osie Taylor, who found the boy.
The investigation started just after 6 a.m. Wednesday when the child was reported missing. Neighbors said the boy's mother last saw him on Tuesday around 10 p.m.
Neighbors who knew him said they're absolutely broken-hearted figuring out how they're going to tell their children.
"I have to break the news to them. Their really good friend passed away and I don't know how to explain that to them. I don't know how to put it into words," neighbor Brittney Taylor said.
Westmoreland County homicide detectives are interviewing neighbors. The child's mother has been interviewed by police.
"The investigation is ongoing. The Westmoreland County Detective Bureau is actively working on this investigation with the new Kensington Police Department. To our community at large, hold your children close. They are our most precious gifts," Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said.
The neighbors said the little boy recently beat pediatric cancer and was enjoying a second chance at life.
"All he does is ride his bike and play with his sister and for something like this to happen to him, it's unbelievable. It's got to stop, whatever is going on," Taylor said.
The child's name is not being released, but the New Kensington-Arnold School District said the boy was a student in the district.
"A tragedy like this is not easy to accept, while causing many levels of grief across our close-knit community," Dr. Chris Sefcheck, the district's superintendent, said in a letter to families.
