Darnell Gray search ends after body found

Jefferson City police on Tuesday said they had found the body of a 4-year-old who had been missing for nearly a week.

Jefferson City Police Department Lt. David Williams said searchers found Darnell Gray’s body a little before noon in an area of Jefferson City that had not previously been searched. A massive search effort started Thursday morning after Gray was reported missing from a home on Buena Vista Street. His caretaker had reported he had walked away from home.

“Foul play was never suspected until we found Darnell, and now it’s an investigation into his death,” Williams said in response to a reporter’s question. “We do know that he is deceased and that it was not by his own accord.”

Wiliams said it was too early to determine the boy’s cause of death. No arrests have been made, he said.

“Right now we have a deceased 4-year-old that we are treating as an investigation to determine how he came to be deceased,” Williams said when asked whether the case had turned into a homicide investigation. He would not say where the body was found.

Williams said investigators were now ready to “finish what we started.” He said he personally notified Gray’s mother while investigators notified the boy’s father. He said he did not know if the boy’s caretaker had been notified of the death. The FBI continues to help with the investigation, Williams said. Look for more details on this developing story.