| By Big Radio News Staff |
Rock County Sheriff’s Authorities say 20-year-old Dayveon Lathrop faces counts of first-degree homicide and hiding the body of an 8-year-old child who police say he’s related to after authorities found the child apparently murdered Saturday in a town of Fulton home.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Rock County Sheriff Curt Fell said Lathrop faces the charges after police found the body of an 8-year-old child Saturday evening inside a home the 5500 block of West Miles Road.
The sheriff’s office says they detained Lathrop Saturday on suspicion he was involved in the child’s death after finding the child’s body—apparently hidden—inside the home.
Authorities wouldn’t give more details pending an investigation, but Fell said officers initially did a walking search of the property Saturday evening, when the child was reported missing.
Fell said officers called out for the child and had police dogs search the property before sheriff’s officials found they had reason to search the home.
The sheriff’s office later on Saturday searched the home with a warrant and found the child dead inside the home. Police said they Lathrop was carrying apparent drug paraphernalia.
A county medical examiner ran a forensic autopsy for the child Monday morning, but the sheriff’s office has not released details of the findings, other than to say they believe the cause of death to have been “a homicide.”
Fell said during police interactions with Lathrop on Saturday, he was “coherent” and spoke with officers.
Authorities say there is no evidence that sexual assault was involved.
Lathrop was initially arrested for child neglect and having drug equipment, along with bail jumping. His arrest on first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse came Tuesday morning, Fell said.
Fell says the child was “related” to Lathrop, but Fell declined to give more details, saying more information would come through a criminal complaint, which as of Tuesday had not been released.
Fell did not disclose at the news conference who initially reported the child missing — or what circumstances might have prompted police to launch a full-scale search for the child shortly in the hours directly following them being reported missing.
Lathrop remains in custody, under observation, police say.
He’s slated for an initial appearance in jail court Wednesday afternoon, the Rock County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Tune in to WCLO Radio and WCLO.com for live news on this developing story as the Big Radio News team brings you more coverage. And check out a live stream of the sheriff’s Tuesday news conference on WCLO’s Facebook feed.
