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Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of black teenager Quawan “Bobby” Charles, whose body was found in a sugar cane field in Louisiana, as a homicide, they said.
The announcement came on Saturday after relatives of Charles, 15, and local civil rights groups called for an independent investigation and raised questions that his race played a role in how the law enforcement agencies have handled his case so far.
Charles’s body was found on November 3 in a sugarcane field near the village of Loreauville, about 20 miles from his father’s house in Baldwin. Her mother first reported her missing on October 30.
A lawyer for the family said last week it was not clear why authorities had not issued an alert for Amber after his disappearance or how he might have drowned – the probable cause of death listed in the report autopsy – when his body was found in shallow water. .
The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office did not say why it was investigating her death as a homicide.
“Just as we do in any case involving a person found deceased in this manner, we immediately began to treat this as a homicide investigation the same time we found Quawan” Bobby “Charles,” the office said on Saturday. from the sheriff in a press release.
The sheriff’s office also said it was not alerted to Charles’ disappearance until November 3, when one of his parents contacted the office.
Charles’s mother initially reported his disappearance to her local police department in the town of Baldwin, and the department then notified the local St. Mary’s Parish Sheriff’s Office, the statement said.
It was not immediately clear why the St. Mary’s Parish Sheriff’s Office failed to alert authorities in the nearby parish of Iberia, where Charles’s body was found. A spokesperson for St. Mary did not respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.
Investigators found Charles’ body hours after learning of his disappearance, the sheriff’s office said in the statement, adding that he was “actively and aggressively” gathering evidence and conducting interviews.
Investigators examined video evidence from an area near where Charles’ body was found which showed him on camera before his death and no one else with him, the statement said.
The sheriff’s office said it was awaiting toxicology results and declined to provide further details on Charles’ death as the investigation was ongoing.
Family lawyer Chase Trichell said on Sunday he was encouraged that the sheriff’s office was investigating Charles’ death as a homicide.
“No able-bodied 15-year-old will drown in water to their ankles without some outside influence which contributed to their death,” he said.
Still, he said neither the family nor their lawyers overheard Sheriff Thomas Romero of the Iberia Parish talk about leads, theories and other possible conclusions, despite a request for a meeting on Friday.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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