Authorities discovered the body of a missing four-year-old boy on the shores of Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor on Monday afternoon, bringing a distressing end to an extensive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
Mohamed Fofana, from South Boston, was reported missing on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14 by his mother and family..
The comprehensive search operations included divers exploring the entire area offshore from Castle Island’s seawall, helicopters patrolling the coast from Deer Island to Hull, and a Boston firefighter drone scanning the coastline. Police also continued searching the ground around Castle Island, while detectives reviewed surveillance footage to establish the child’s movements after leaving the Castle Island playground.
State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio verified that a Marine unit transported troopers and the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County to Spectacle Island, where they identified the body as that of Fofana. State Police Crime Scene Services were also present at the scene to document the recovery.
Fofana wandered off around 7 pm on Sunday while playing at a Castle Island playground with his older sister and grandfather, Soleymane Fofana. Soleymane called 911 when he couldn’t locate his grandson, who had disappeared near the water. The search operations commenced shortly before 9:30 pm, with helicopters and patrol teams covering both land and sea. The search persisted through the night and resumed the following morning.
Spectacle Island lies across the water from Castle Island, over a mile away, and is one of several beaches overlooking Boston Harbor.
On Monday morning, Mohamed’s mother, Matenjay Fofana, and his grandfather released two images of the boy and appealed to the community for help in locating him. They said that Mohamed was autistic, suffered from sickle cell disease, and was nonverbal.
Fofana attended pre-K at Lee K-8 School in Dorchester.
Massachusetts State Police detectives are currently investigating the young boy’s death.
