Police defend handling of dead Black teen’s disappearance

This undated photo provided by the family through the NAACP shows Quawan Charles. Activists and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana are calling for an independent investigation into the death of Charles, a Black 15-year-old whose body was found Nov. 3, 2020, days after he was reported missing. (Family Photo/Courtesy of NAACP via AP)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Nov 19, 2020 / 06:44 AM EST

Updated: Nov 19, 2020 / 06:44 AM EST

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

BALDWIN, La. (AP) — Police in a Louisiana town are defending their handling of the disappearance of a Black teenager who was found dead earlier this month.

Baldwin Assistant Police Chief Samuel Wise told southwest Louisiana news outlets that the search for 15-year-old Quawan “Bobby” Charles began soon after his mother reported him missing on Oct. 30.

Wise said the case did not appear to warrant issuing an Amber Alert for a missing child.

Charles’ body was found in some water in Iberia Parish woods on Nov. 3. Autopsies indicate he drowned. Iberia Parish authorities are investigating the death as a homicide.