Preliminary autopsy suggests hypothermia in death of Alabama boy: reports

Officials have reportedly identified a possible cause of death for a 4-year-old Alabama boy who was found dead days after he was reported missing on New Year’s Eve.

A preliminary autopsy report indicates that Johnathan Boley’s death is consistent with hypothermia, Walker County Coroner Joey Vick said this week, according to Fox affiliate WBRC and NBC affiliate WVTM.

Investigators noted that the child had removed his shoes and said drowning was not suspected, WTVM reported.

A final autopsy report has not yet been released. 

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Boley’s funeral is scheduled for Jan. 10, according to WBRC.

Hypothermia is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is exposed to freezing temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Johnathan Everett Boley was reported missing on Dec. 30 after he wandered away from a rural property along Highway 195 near Jasper, Alabama, while playing outside with his dog, Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said during a news conference.

Following a multi-day search involving hundreds of law enforcement officers, volunteers, K-9 teams, drones and aircraft, searchers found the child’s body on Jan. 2 roughly two miles from the home, officials said. 

The dog was located alive nearby.

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“This is not the outcome anyone hoped for,” Smith said at the time. “Our hearts go out to this family and everyone who worked tirelessly to bring this child home.”

Johnathan Boley and his siblings live with their mother in Florida and were visiting their father for the holidays under a custody arrangement, authorities said.

Boley’s father, Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, of Jasper, Alabama, has been charged with felony chemical endangerment of a child and unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, according to Walker County District Court records obtained by Fox News Digital.

Law enforcement officials have said that the destructive-device charge is not related to the death of his son.

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“At this time, there is no evidence indicating foul play in the child’s death, and these charges should not be conflated with the search for Johnathan,” Smith said during a news conference.

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The Walker County Coroner’s office and the Walker County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.