The location and condition of a child's skull and bones found near a Big Bear area campground where a 9-year-old boy disappeared last July indicate he may have been killed by a mountain lion, authorities said Tuesday.
San Bernardino County medical examiners are using dental records and DNA tests to determine if the remains that were found during the weekend by hikers and sheriff's deputies are those of David Gonzalez,who lived in Lake Elsinore and whose disappearance triggered a massive search-and-rescue effort last summer.
The bones were found about a mile southwest of the Hanna Flat campground, near Fawnskin, and showed no obvious trauma to the skull or signs of foul play, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokesman Chip Patterson. The family had been camping at Hanna Flat on July 31.
Authorities believe a cougar may have attacked the boy in the woods and then dragged his body to an isolated area, which would explain David's sudden disappearance and why rescuers could not find him, Patterson said.
"Explanations can be found in the lack of evidence," he said. "It was such a thorough search, and there were so many resources used, you wonder why we couldn't find him there. We searched that exact area.... Why couldn't he hear or see the people looking for him? Why couldn't we find him? This theory fits with what we don't know."
! Something's not right here...I'm not surprised they've called off the search, but I hope LE is still investigating this...50 yards from the campsite to the truck. 9 yr old going to get cookies and never getting them or even unlocking the truck. Lots of food at the campsite (I'm assuming---reported that he was hungry for cookies at 8AM while breakfast already being prepared in campsite---why not just give child something that's right at hand to "hold him over?"). Crowded campgrounds, I've read--- and I think David's family was camping with another family---NO ONE saw or heard ANYTHING? David's mom says she saw a "beige truck" speeding away. No one else in crowded camp area saw the truck? If a truck was seen speeding away, and family's campsite was only 50 yards from their own truck, did no one hear a truck pulling up? Or any sounds of a struggle? Or voices? Or a door slamming? Nothing? Animal attack just 50 yards from campsite seems unlikely---and they don't think that this is what happened anyway---but if it WAS an animal, wouldn't there be some signs of a struggle? Some sounds? Even one yell? or some blood? Expert trackers are pretty good at determining if any animals have been close to a campsite, and I haven't heard that there's been a shred of evidence that it was an animal attack. Not one sign of the boy since he disappeared---none of the possible clues turned out to be anything. What about the reports that he was seen walking alone near the campgrounds later the same day he was reported missing? Why would he be? Has it been absolutely determined that he was at the campgrounds with the family to begin with? I know this may sound harsh and suspicious but the kid wasn't on a hike and got separated, no animals that close to campsite, no one else heard or saw any signs of trucks or abduction as far as I've read. He just had to walk 50 yards from a family campsite in a crowded campground.... :banghead:
