The death of a 14-year-old Connecticut boy who was found in a shallow grave in West Virginia has been ruled a homicide, authorities said.
The body of Jonathan “Johnny” Adams, a West Hartford teen who was staying with an aunt in West Virginia, was discovered Saturday in a shallow grave in a “heavily wooded area” near where he was reported missing nearly a week earlier, according to the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy ruled Adams’ manner of death a homicide, but sheriff’s officials did not indicate Wednesday exactly how he died or who they believe killed the boy.
The sheriff’s department said the investigation has been “difficult and complicated for various reasons” while adding that additional information in the case would not be released Wednesday.
But investigators believe the teen’s slaying was an “isolated incident,” sheriff’s officials said.
“The outcome of this investigation is obviously not what any of us had hoped for Johnny and his family and we ask our community and surrounding communities to continue to keep Johnny’s family in your thoughts and prayer during this very difficult time,” Wednesday’s statement continued.
The sheriff’s office said Saturday that investigators had “developed a suspect” in Adams’ death. It also announced that a 16-year-old relative of the teen — who was not identified — had been arrested on a burglary charge, but it’s unclear whether it was linked to Adams’ killing.
“The investigation still continues into the events [surrounding] the child’s death,” sheriff’s officials said Saturday. “More information will be released as it becomes available.”
At the time of his death, Adams had been staying at his aunt’s house in Augusta, W.Va., where he was spending time with his cousins, another one of the teen’s aunts told the Hartford Courant.
“Jonathan was only 14 years old, but he had such a bubbly, lovely spirit,” Elizabeth Adams told the newspaper.
Elizabeth Adams said her nephew’s family decided to send him to stay with another aunt in Hampshire County in March as his relatives — many of whom work in the medical field — were tied up with the coronavirus pandemic.
The teen’s aunt, a high school teacher, had planned to tutor him as he spent time with her six children, Elizabeth Adams said.
“So Jonathan was very, very excited to go,” she told the newspaper.
Adams, an avid athlete who played basketball and football, was set to start his freshman year at Hall High School in West Hartford this fall, the Courant reports.