Authorities in Japan have discovered a body during the nearly month-long search for a 5-year-old boy who vanished while visiting a hot spring resort with his family.
Firefighters in the city of Kirishima, located in Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan, found the body at around 9:20 a.m. on Friday, July 17, along the bank of the Amori River, according to The Japan News and Japan Today.
The discovery came as police continued searching for Reo Tanaka, who was last seen on June 21 while visiting a hot spring facility with his parents and 2-year-old brother.
Police said the remains appeared to belong to a male who was approximately 3.8 feet tall. The body was found beneath a pile of driftwood less than half a mile from the resort.
Authorities are now conducting DNA testing to determine whether the remains are those of the missing child.
Reo, who lived in the city of Yatsushiro in neighboring Kumamoto Prefecture, disappeared after his parents stepped into a changing room at around 3:30 p.m., leaving him alone near a private bath.
When they returned, Reo was gone.
His parents told investigators that they had not heard any noise from the adjoining room before discovering their son had disappeared. They immediately alerted employees at the resort, who contacted police.
Investigators believe Reo may have climbed through a window positioned above the bathtub and fallen into the nearby river.
Approximately 100 police officers and firefighters were deployed to search the river and surrounding area. However, the operation was temporarily suspended several times because of heavy rain across the Kyushu region, which caused dangerous increases in the river’s water level.
The search continued for nearly four weeks before firefighters made Friday’s grim discovery.
Reo’s mother previously said she remained determined to bring her son home.
“No matter what condition he is in,” she told local media.
