Body of Missing Child Identified
The search for a missing 15-year-old boy has come to a tragic end. The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that forensic experts identified a body pulled from the Ohio River as 15-year-old Darrien Otta of South Point, Ohio.
The boy disappeared from his home on April 17th, and family members believed he was a runaway. At the time, investigators searched the area around his home and interviewed his friends. Additionally, officers searched cell phone data in an attempt to locate the boy.
On April 27th, the Ceredo Kenova Police Department discovered an unidentified body in the Ohio River near Twelve Pole Creek. Forensic experts at the West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office used DNA and dental records to positively identify the body as Darrien Otta and announced the findings on June 21.
Officials said there were no signs of foul play.