Missing Alachua boy apparently accidentally electrocuted - 05/08/02 03:51 AM
Quote
Missing Alachua boy apparently accidentally electrocuted
The Associated Press
ALACHUA, Fla. - A worker found the electrocuted body of a 12-year-old boy outside City Hall on Friday, two days after the child was reported missing.
City police Maj. Clovis Watson Jr. said Adam Webb's body was found about 3:15 p.m. by a municipal worker in a fenced-off area next to a transformer and some electrical wires. The area was not locked.
Watson said about 50 people were searching for the youth in this city about 60 miles southwest of Jacksonville when the worker smelled an odor coming from the area.
"We were hoping for a better outcome," Watson said.
Watson said after Webb's body was discovered, another boy came forward and said he had been with Webb on Wednesday night when he was electrocuted. That boy's name was not released.
"He heard a bang, a sizzle and saw sparks," Watson said.
The youth told police that the area was their secret hiding place. He said he didn't tell anyone because he was afraid he would get in trouble.
An autopsy will be performed, Watson said, but the preliminary ruling was accidental electrocution.
"It's disheartening when something like this happens to a child," said Watson, the father of five.
The Associated Press
ALACHUA, Fla. - A worker found the electrocuted body of a 12-year-old boy outside City Hall on Friday, two days after the child was reported missing.
City police Maj. Clovis Watson Jr. said Adam Webb's body was found about 3:15 p.m. by a municipal worker in a fenced-off area next to a transformer and some electrical wires. The area was not locked.
Watson said about 50 people were searching for the youth in this city about 60 miles southwest of Jacksonville when the worker smelled an odor coming from the area.
"We were hoping for a better outcome," Watson said.
Watson said after Webb's body was discovered, another boy came forward and said he had been with Webb on Wednesday night when he was electrocuted. That boy's name was not released.
"He heard a bang, a sizzle and saw sparks," Watson said.
The youth told police that the area was their secret hiding place. He said he didn't tell anyone because he was afraid he would get in trouble.
An autopsy will be performed, Watson said, but the preliminary ruling was accidental electrocution.
"It's disheartening when something like this happens to a child," said Watson, the father of five.