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Officials have reportedly determined the probable 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 Johnathan Boley’s death was related to hypothermia, Walker County Coroner Joey Vick said this week, according to Fox affiliate WBRC and NBC affiliate WVTM.
Investigators noticed that the child had taken off his shoes and said it was not suspected that he was drowning, WTVM reported.
The final autopsy report has not been released.
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A preliminary autopsy report indicates Johnathan Boley’s death was related to hypothermia, Walker County Coroner Joey Vick said this week. (FOX 13-WTVT)
Boley’s funeral is scheduled for January 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 Dec. 30 after wandering into a rural area on 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 investigation involving hundreds of police officers, volunteers, K-9 teams, drones and aircraft, searchers found the child’s body on Jan. 2 about two kilometers from the home, officials said.
A dog was found nearby.
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Johnathan Boley’s body was found in a wooded area near his father’s home in Alabama on Jan. 2, 2025. The dog was found alive nearby. (FOX 13-WTVT)
“This is not the result anyone expected,” Smith said at the time. “Our hearts go out to this family and everyone who worked so hard 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 child custody arrangement, authorities said.
Boley’s father, Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, of Jasper, Alabama, was charged with child endangerment and unlawful manufacture of a destructive substance, according to Walker County Circuit Court records obtained by Fox News Digital.
Law enforcement officials said the vandalism charge was unrelated to her son’s death.
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Jameson Boley, 40, is charged with manufacturing a destructive substance and two counts of endangering a child with chemicals. (Blount County Jail)
“At this time, there is no evidence of foul play in the child’s death, and these cases should not be connected to the search for Johnathan,” Smith said during a press 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.
