Authorities in New Orleans have confirmed that a missing 12-year-old boy, Bryan Vasquez, died from drowning and blunt force trauma consistent with an alligator attack. His body was discovered in a canal on Tuesday, following a nearly two-week search.

Bryan, who had autism and was nonverbal, was reported missing on August 14 after he escaped through a bedroom window at his home in the East side of the city. Surveillance footage captured him walking alone down the street around 5:20 a.m., wearing only a diaper.

His mother, Hilda Vasquez, mentioned that Bryan often sneaked away to a nearby playground, but the family had recently moved, which may have contributed to his wandering. The search for Bryan involved multiple agencies, volunteers, airboats, and bloodhounds.

As the search progressed, criticism arose regarding the New Orleans Police Department's delayed response. Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick acknowledged a nearly five-hour gap between the time Bryan was reported missing and when officers arrived at the scene. She stated that an internal investigation into the delay has been initiated.

Bryan's body was located approximately 200 yards from the initial search area, and Kirkpatrick noted that it is common for bodies to resurface after drowning incidents. The Orleans Parish Coroner confirmed the cause of death as drowning with blunt trauma consistent with an alligator attack.

The police department has transitioned the case from a missing persons investigation to an unclassified death investigation, with detectives actively pursuing leads. No suspects have been identified or charged at this time.

City officials described Bryan as a "bright, charismatic, and energetic young boy whose joy and spirit touched the lives of his family, friends, and community." In response to the incident, Kirkpatrick has requested the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to remove "nuisance" alligators from the area where Bryan was found.

Louisiana has the largest alligator population in the United States, and the wildlife agency captures and removes over 1,000 nuisance alligators each year to reduce human-alligator encounters.