Found Deceased NC - Raul Johnson, 4, Laurinburg, 24 January 2018

[katydid23]

One thing I noticed in the footage of the drained pond was a bridge that appeared to go over it. I wonder if he could have fallen off the bridge.


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That's definitely another possibility, especially if he was in the middle of the bridge- it would be very deep there for a small child.

But didn't they report there were child's footprints, barefoot, at the edge of the pond?

I thought I saw that upthread here---but I am not certain if it was this specific pond that had the footprints or not.

ETA; post #660--just caught up:

More info about the pond from an article a couple of days ago.

“The farm is 800 yards away from the child’s home, according to Sheriff Ralph Kersey.

Evidence found nearby caused searchers to center their efforts on Manis’ pond. Multiple sets toddler-sized foot prints were found in the mud around the pond, according to Kersey. Detectives believed the prints were fresh because rain that fell in the area overnight Monday would have washed away old prints. Multiple search dogs repeatedly led rescuers to the pond.

Dive teams from Marlboro and Cumberland counties searched the pond and used sonar equipment on Wednesday and Thursday in an attempt to locate the child. The pond is five feet deep around the edge and up to eight feet in the center.”

http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/ne...odies-of-water

 

[Elainera]

More info about the pond from an article a couple of days ago.

“The farm is 800 yards away from the child’s home, according to Sheriff Ralph Kersey.

Evidence found nearby caused searchers to center their efforts on Manis’ pond. Multiple sets toddler-sized foot prints were found in the mud around the pond, according to Kersey. Detectives believed the prints were fresh because rain that fell in the area overnight Monday would have washed away old prints. Multiple search dogs repeatedly led rescuers to the pond.

Dive teams from Marlboro and Cumberland counties searched the pond and used sonar equipment on Wednesday and Thursday in an attempt to locate the child. The pond is five feet deep around the edge and up to eight feet in the center.”

http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/13780/search-for-child-turns-to-nearby-bodies-of-water

bbm There you are. He probably slipped and fell in. Poor baby

 

[PetDetective]

But didn't they report there were child's footprints, barefoot, at the edge of the pond?

I thought I saw that upthread here---but I am not certain if it was this specific pond that had the footprints or not.

Yes, now that we know it is 5 feet deep at the edge....I think we have our answer. Poor little guy [emoji22] He must have been terrified


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[mom2four717]

I just read the sad news.
What a lousy ending.
I'll be holding Raul and his loved ones in the light.

 

[Amonet]

RIP Raul.

I'm so sorry for the people who loved him and for those for whom he was a part of their community. He did have a lovely happy little face that I am sure would have captured the hearts of the people around him.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I'm bothered by the fact the Cookie Neighbor said the Little Man stopped by for his treats but would not speak.

I need to hear the official cause of death before I can let go of this niggling hinky feeling about the death of this precious child.

 

[katydid23]

I'm bothered by the fact the Cookie Neighbor said the Little Man stopped by for his treats but would not speak.

I need to hear the official cause of death before I can let go of this niggling hinky feeling about the death of this precious child.

I hear ya. I have been trying hard to figure out how this happened too. So much hink, early on.

But with the barefoot footprints that were child sized, and apparently, no other footprints there------how could it be any thing other than a child slipping under the water accidentally?

I just can't come up with any scenario that would leave only the child's footprints right by the water's edge....:rose:

 

[rosesfromangels]

I hear ya. I have been trying hard to figure out how this happened too. So much hink, early on.

But with the barefoot footprints that were child sized, and apparently, no other footprints there------how could it be any thing other than a child slipping under the water accidentally?

I just can't come up with any scenario that would leave only the child's footprints right by the water's edge....:rose:

Yes, that's very logical. He was probably trying to get a drink of water, throw a rock in the pond, chase a bird, or maybe even tinkle in the water. Who knows.
This being said, my hinky alert won't shut off.
Guess we'll see. I've been wrong before.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I just got around to watching the newscast with the Sheriff announcing they had found the Little Man. All I have to say is that Laurinburg, NC is blessed to have such a good hearted man as their Sheriff. I think along with Raul, he has touched us all deeply as well. A fine example of a real man.

 

[Amonet]

Raul might have been following an animal or a bird and ended up at the pond by accident, not design. When he got there he only has to bend over a little too far and overbalance, combined with slippery mud, and whether he could swim or not he wouldn't be able to get out of a pond that was 5' deep at the edges.

I had wondered if he got a little boat for Christmas and had tried to go to the pond to sail a toy boat, maybe even a toy duck or a duck that was meant to go in the bath.

If this was the farm pond (the closer one seems to be the one that would be described as peabody road (sorry I can't recall the exact name) because from what I recall that road was intersecting Crestline road prior to going further down Crestline road and the farm being further on) had he been to that property before (with adults) and knew there were critters there and just wanted to see the critters?

It is very easy for a 4-yr old to get distracted and wander off even when a parent *is* keeping an eye on them...how often does it happen at the store or market when you're looking at lemons and trying to pick some out and you turn around and your 4-yr old decided to go look at the toys or follow another family around? A child of that age has a short attention span, gets bored and distracted and often wanders off to the thing that attracts their attention without being aware of the consequences.

 

[deedee21]

Oh Raul...I so hoped this would turn out differently. My heart is aching and there are tears in my eyes as I write this.
If this was a drowning, then this was not an accident, it was NEGLECT. This child had a history of wandering away from a home where there was clearly turmoil and abuse, and no one was watching out for him. So drowned or not I struggle to see this as an accident...yes there have been cases where wonderful parents lost their children in similar fashion and that is not their fault but IMO this is different. Who was looking out for Raul in his short four years on this planet? No one, from what I can tell. Shame.
Regarding the uncle, we have seen others be arrested for unrelated charges during the course of an investigation (Libby and Abby case for example) and I would bet that this is the case (arrested on something unrelated). Otherwise I think by this case we might have heard something to the contrary.

RIP sweet one... [emoji177]


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I share your views. This was not an accident. This was negligence. Someone has to he held accountable.
Animals in the wild make better parents than some humans.

 

[MsFacetious]

Barefoot toddler sized foot prints should not ever be found next to a pond in January. :tantrum:

We don't have a pond near our house, not that my son is ever outside unattended.
However we recently went to a park with a partially frozen pond.
We showed it to my 2.5 year old son and let him see how cold and slippery it was.
Made sure we told him not to go near water/ice by himself. Just in case.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

Sheriff says they believe it was accidental but are continuing to investigate.
Says he "personally met" Raul last year - didn't explain.

Official (FBI agent?) explaining how they conducted the search. Also explains how the dive team works - a grid search starting with most likely place in water - "hot spots."

Sheriff back, explaining the investigative part but says right now it appears accidental.

Giving kudos to all the searchers.

Asked by reporter to explain prior meeting of Raul. Sidestepping the real question, Sheriff is instead describing Raul's personality, said Raul visited everyone in the neighborhood - everyone was part of that family (??)

Reporter keeps asking about Sheriff meeting Raul. I think he said something about September - I missed it maybe someone else here heard it? [I'm sure he met with Raul when the parents were arrested but I get the feeling he may have had a prior encounter]

Lady naming various officials, spelling their names and telling their positions in agencies.

End. I missed some stuff but that's the gist of the presser.

Slightly off topic, but one of the sessions at Crime Con last year was an FBI agent in charge of the dive team who explained some of the work they do. It was very interesting.

 

[Seajay]

I've had company all day and just a chance to check in here.. So sad to see "de ceased" next to Raul's name. Poor baby. May he have wonderful, eternal peace.

 

[jade32]

Here's a good view of the area, albeit from a 2008 capture. It looks kinda isolated. You can see how easily Raul could get to the cookie neighbor just by going through the back yards. My link is the satellite view of an earlier map on msm linked upthread so it should be okay.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/546...fbffe3f339ee!2m2!1d-79.489963!2d34.661324!3e2

I've been gone since the presser and I really hoped to come home to see that Raul had been found - one way or another. If he isn't in the pond then I don't know what to think.

Thank you for this!

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[jade32]

Very rural.

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Thank you!

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[Eloise]

It's an artificial pond, not a natural one with a naturally sloping shore with a gradient, where it would start off at wading depth. As confirmed, it's 5ft deep at the edge. It would have only taken a single misstep around the apparently slippery edge, and he'd fall in beyond his depth easily. The shock of the cold water could disorient even a child who could swim if the depth was too much for them to gain any kind of foothold anywhere.

Of course, children do wander, but for a child with a history of wandering with ponds like this around ... :thinking:

 

[bleuboy]

I'm devastated about this. I was reading the case about evan last night and was that sick over it I've only just come back on. Now I see little Raul gone. I really do hope this is a accident because I'm sick of the depraved Sicko's of this world targeting the most precious of our society. Play with the angels Raul.

 

[margarita25]

Undiagnosed autism?

 

[BlkMtnGirl]

Rest In Peace, little Raul. I wonder if we’ll ever know what the barn was all about?

My four year old boy is a water bug. We have to hold him back from water all the time. One time, he walked right into a lake with no warning, clothes and all.