Body Of Missing Toddler Found In Woods
The search for missing toddler Owen Collins has come to a tragic end, but the wheels of justice are already turning with the arrests of three people. WANE News reports that the Indiana toddler had gone missing during the early afternoon on Sunday, but his deceased body was later found in a wooded area near his home. A positive official identification has not yet been made regarding the discovery, but the few reports covering the discovery are confident that the body belongs to the missing child.
The Journal Gazette reveals that the child’s disappearance was discovered by police when they went to his home to do a welfare check. Reports aren’t indicating why a police welfare check was warranted at the home at this time. The adults in the home supposedly did not report the child missing, which sparked immediate concern and fears for the safety of the missing lad. While officers with K9 units searched the woods for the missing toddler, the adults in the home were thoroughly interrogated.
Not only was the body of Owen Collins found, but three adults in the home were arrested. The charges given to the three individuals are telling of what may have happened to the three-year-old Bluffton, Indiana child. Breanna J. Arnold, 21, was charged with the neglect of a dependent resulting in death — which is a level 1 felony. Zachary S. Barnes, 30, was given the same negligence charge as Breanna, but also an added charge of abuse of a corpse — which is a level 6 felony. A 16-year-old boy was also arrested and charged with felony abuse of a corpse, but his name has not yet been revealed through the media. At this time no mugshots are available.
There are a lot of intense emotions surrounding the disappearance and death of Owen Collins. People commenting on published articles that claim to know the boy’s parents have shared their feelings, and people have also expressed shock on Facebook about the heartbreaking end to the search for him. As for the missing child’s apparent cause of death, there doesn’t appear to be any information on this yet. The child’s death is currently being investigated while the three adults in the home go through jail booking and into further interrogation.
This tragic case isn’t a common occurrence in Bluffton, but the town is still no stranger to horrible tragedies. Back in the 1990s a serial child molester was caught in the area, which gained national attention on the little region. The murder of a teenage girl in the town also attracted attention at some point.
[Photo credit: Bluffton Police Department]
