Missing New Orleans boy died from blunt force trauma from alligator, authorities say

A nonverbal New Orleans boy who disappeared earlier this month was found dead Tuesday and appears to have died in part from an alligator attack, officials said

A nonverbal New Orleans boy who disappeared earlier this month was found dead Tuesday and appears to have died in part from an alligator attack, officials said.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Wednesday that Bryan Vasquez, 12, drowned after suffering blunt force trauma from an alligator.

His body was found in a lagoon in the city’s Michoud neighborhood, Kirkpatrick said.

An investigation into the boy's death, which Kirkpatrick said is considered "unclassified," is ongoing.

Vasquez’s Aug. 14 disappearance prompted a frantic search and scrutiny on the police department after revelations that authorities did not respond to a 911 call about the boy for five hours.