A 15-year-old Detroit boy who had been reported missing has been found dead in a local cemetery, wearing gloves and a ski mask. Authorities are treating the case as a homicide.
The body of Lawrence Dowl was discovered Thursday at Mt. Hazel Cemetery by a person visiting a loved one’s grave, according to WDIV. Dowl had last been seen two days earlier, on Tuesday, getting into a white Dodge Durango, family members told Fox 2 Detroit.
Captain Marcus Thirlkill of the Detroit Police Department’s homicide division confirmed the discovery. “The individual who we located inside of the cemetery was wearing gloves and what we believe to be some kind of ski mask,” Thirlkill said. “We are very early in the investigation into this matter, but at this time we are investigating this case as a homicide.”
Dowl reportedly left his phone at home, making it difficult for his family or authorities to track his whereabouts after he got into the vehicle. A friend of the family told Fox 2 that the person driving the Durango claimed to have dropped Dowl and another boy off in the area, after which they allegedly walked away.
The teen was officially reported missing on Wednesday, prompting a large-scale search involving both the Detroit Police Department and Michigan State Police.
Further details have not yet been released as the investigation continues.