EVERETT — The body of a 4-year-old boy from Everett discovered along I-5 in Pierce County was formally identified Saturday.
Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen alive around 7 a.m. Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive, according to Everett police. He was believed to have left the home “under suspicious circumstances” with a family member, police said.
Police launched a regional search for the boy.
At 5:55 p.m. Thursday, police were notified of a body matching Ariel Garcia’s description was found along I-5 in Pierce County. At the same time, the Washington State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert on behalf of Everett police.
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On Saturday, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Ariel Garcia. The cause and manner of death were “homicidal violence,” but the medical examiner didn’t provide further details, citing an active police investigation.
At 8:34 p.m. Friday, the mother, Janet Ernestina Garcia, was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first- and second-degree murder and first-degree assault of a child in connection with her son’s death.
Michael Henneke: 425-339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @ihenpecked.
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