20 years after boy found dead in church cemetery, new facial reconstruction gives hope

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — His body was found more than 20 years ago in a church cemetery, but a forensic artist’s facial reconstruction could help provide answers.

The boy’s body was found on Feb. 26, 1999, in a wooded area by a small church cemetery along Clifton Springs Road in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Investigators believe the body was placed in its resting place carefully before they found it three to six months later.

“The most disturbing thing is, we … haven’t connected an actual reported missing or death to this child,” said DeKalb County Medical Examiner Director Patrick Bailey, according to a video from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

To date, investigators still don’t know the child’s name or how he died.

The medical examiner said he wasn’t malnourished or poorly-cared for. He was, by all accounts, your average 4- to 8-year-old boy.

The one thing that set him apart was that his clothes suggested he had “above the average means for most income levels,” the medical examiner said.

Those clothes included an extra-large blue plaid and navy hooded sweatshirt, size 3 red denim jeans and well-laced size 11 Timberland boots, which leads investigators to believe someone spent time with him.

Investigators believe he may have been raised in Georgia or Florida or another part of the southeast, based on forensic analysis.

The NCMEC released the new facial reconstruction on the 20th anniversary of the boy’s discovery.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the DeKalb Medical Examiner at (404) 508-3500.