Missing Carnel Chamberlain's Body Found Under Front Porch of Home
The search for Carnel Chamberlain, 4, has been called off after his body was found buried under his home's front porch. Police are currently investigating what could have happened to the small boy, and focus is intensifying on his mother's boyfriend.
Carnel went missing from his home on a Michigan reservation for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Former tribe chief Kevin Chamberlain offered no clues as to what led searchers back to the family's home and particularly to look under the family's porch but described the discovery as a "horrific, bitter end."
Police said that Carnel's body was found buried under the porch.
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"The body had to be in a grave," Chamberlain said. "We had looked underneath before and didn't see anything."
Carnel was last seen on June 21 in the care of his mother Jaimee's boyfriend. He has come under heavy scrutiny in recent days, and police have said that he has been "very uncooperative."
"I ran inside and looked around," Jaimee told the Associated Press. "I didn't know what to do." When she returned home to discover that Carnel was missing, with no explanation from her boyfriend, Jaimee ran to a neighbor's home and called police.
The FBI joined the search and is now handling the case. The federal government takes over any case that occurs on a reservation. While Jaimee has been cooperative with investigators, she has reportedly "not been pleased with the actions" of her boyfriend, Anthony Bennett.
Before his body was found, Carnel's family took to media sites like Facebook in order to spread the word of his disappearance.
"This is an information page! It is not for rumors," the page read. "It is for comments, thoughts, concerns, and most importantly where we provide any information we have about eh case and progress toward bringing him home!"
A vigil was held for Carnel and brought together relatives and supporters. Those in attendance reflected on the young boy's life and the healing in the face of tragedy.
