Human remains found in Iowa; clothes match those of boy missing since May, official says

The human remains of a teenager were found near the hometown of an 11-year-old boy who went missing in May, authorities said Thursday.

A farmer called authorities after finding the remains while carrying out fieldwork in an area just north of Montezuma, about 60 miles east of Des Moines, NBC affiliate KWWL reported of Waterloo.

The clothing on the body matched what Xavior Harrelson wore on May 27, the last day anyone saw the child, said Iowa Criminal Investigations Division deputy director Mitch Mortvedt, according to the news channel.

The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office previously said Harrelson was last seen wearing blue pajama bottoms, a red t-shirt and black tennis shoes in Montezuma.

Positive identification on the remains could take weeks or even months, Mortvedt said.

In the months following Harrelson’s disappearance, volunteers and officers conducted a number of searches to locate the missing boy just days before his 11th birthday.

Harrelson was classified as a missing child case and not a child abduction, the Iowa Criminal Investigations Division said at the time. He was described as being 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 100 pounds, according to his missing person flyer. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

During a vigil for Harrelson on July 25, his aunt told KWWL that “the whole family wants him home.”

“We’re a close-knit family and we spend a lot of time together, especially in the summer and during the holidays and we miss someone,” said Michelle Harrelson.