Boy Who Went Missing From Boston Beach Found Dead
SOUTH BOSTON (CBS) – A boy who went missing from a summer program at a South Boston beach has been found dead.
Boston Police say the body of seven-year-old Kyzr Willis was found in the water off Carson Beach about five hours after he was reported missing.
Kyzr was participating in a summer program in the area of the M Street Bath House run by the city that includes about 100 children.
"The entire BCYF community is absolutely heartbroken on the loss of Kyzr Willis and our deepest sympathies go out to this young boy's family," Will Morales, the Commissioner of Boston Centers for Youth & Families said. "BCYF will work closely with the Boston Police Department throughout the investigation."
Kyzr was last seen out of the water and on the sand. He was supposed to make his way to the bath house to change, but never showed up.
Kyzr's mother tells WBZ she had just left her home in Dorchester to pick up Kyzr when she got the call.
"We checked the water, we checked the shoreline," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said. "We were out in neighborhoods, we checked the area around his house in Dorchester. We searched the best we could."
Then, just after seven o'clock, search teams recovered the child's body in the water near the bath house from which he went missing.
"We're going to conduct a major investigation on what happened here," Evans said.
Kyzr's mother described her son as an outgoing daredevil, who was smart, bright and intelligent and loved the new day camp he had just started attending with his brother earlier this month.
"This is the worst part of our job, dealing with a tragic death like this," Evans said.
State Police said K-9 units, State Police air and sea units, Coast Guard air units, and the Boston Police marine unit were involved in the search.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said his "heart is broken" and his thoughts and prayers are with the Willis family.
"The City of Boston is devastated to learn of the tragic loss of Kyzr Willis, and I will be working closely with Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the Boston Police Department until we know exactly what happened," Mayor Walsh said.
Walsh left the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia early because of the boy's tragic death.
