Homicide detectives are searching a landfill in California for the body of a missing 6-year-old boy presumed to be dead following the arrests of the child’s mother and aunt, according to police.
Authorities believe Duke Flores, who has been missing for over two weeks, was placed in a dumpster and are searching the landfill in Victorville in hopes of recovering the boy’s remains, police said in a statement.
A witness told Victor Valley News that authorities were searching in the landfill with an excavator with sheriff’s dogs searching through the trash.
Police said during a welfare check in the 22000 block of Cherokee Avenue on April 25, the boy’s mother Jakee Contreras, 29, told deputies that she had not seen her son about two weeks. She was subsequently arrested and charged with child neglect for her delay in reporting him missing. Deputies conducted a search but were not able to find the boy.
The police’s search quickly became a homicide investigation where detectives conducted numerous searches and multiple interviews with family members and Contreras. At the conclusion of Contreras’s interview, police charged her with murder and she was held in custody without bail.
Contrera’s twin sister, Jennifer Contreras, was also arrested and charged with murder on April 27, police said.
Duke’s grandmother, Lydia Gutierrez, said that she had not seen her grandson in 10 days. She noted that Duke has autism and had wandered off in the past, reported KTLA.
The police department did not provide any details on what led to believe Duke was killed.
Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact the Specialized Investigations Division, Detective Narcie Sousa at (909) 387-3589 or Sheriff’s dispatch at (909) 387-8313. Callers can remain anonymous and contact We-Tip at (800)78-CRIME or www.wetip.com.
