Kansas: Missing 5-Year-Old Found Dead Under Bridge

His stepmother has been arrested for obstruction and interfering with police
By Janet Cromley,  Newser Staff
Posted May 26, 2018 10:55 AM CDT
Body of Boy Missing Since February Found Under Bridge
Emily Glass, of Wichita, was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County jail Thursday night, May 24, 2018, after a body that is believed to be her stepson, 5-year-old Lucas Hernandez, was found in a nearby county. She has not been charged in the case. Glass reported Lucas missing from their Wichita...   (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Police believe that they have found the body of missing 5-year-old Lucas Hernandez, of Wichita, Kan. Lucas’s stepmother, Emily Glass, has been arrested for obstruction and one count of interfering with a law enforcement officer, reports People. According to the Wichita Eagle, the badly decomposed body was under a bridge on a gravel road, about a quarter of a mile from the nearest house. Sheila Medlam, a volunteer searcher, says she got a text message from a private investigator telling her, "We found him at 5:01." Within hours of the discovery, about two dozen volunteer searchers went to where the body was found and stood vigil for him, per the Eagle. The area where the body was found—near the town of Sedgwick about 20 miles north of Wichita—was close to where they had been searching.

Glass, who has a one-year-old daughter, reported Lucas missing from their rental home on Feb. 17. The boy's father, Jonathan Hernandez, works out of state for long stretches and was away at the time, per ABC. A few days after Lucas’ disappearance, the police arrested Glass, 27, for endangerment—specifically, smoking three bowls of marijuana and then driving her daughter to a restaurant—but a jury found her not guilty. Court documents indicate that Lucas was frequently seen with bruises, and after Lucas was reported missing, friends and relatives came forward and said they thought he had been abused. A family friend who says she spoke with Jonathan relayed a message from him: "Jonathan said thanks to all searchers and everybody" who has supported the family and cared about Lucas. The friend adds, "Just continue to pray for the family because they lost somebody they love." (More missing child stories.)

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