Quawan “Bobby” Charles was at his father's home Oct. 30 when he apparently left with a 17-year-old friend and the friend's mother, both white, who showed up while the father was out shopping, according to Charles family members. But his family didn't learn that detail until three days later from a thirdhand source, an attorney for the family tells PEOPLE.
After his family reported Quawan missing Oct. 30, police in Baldwin first suggested to Quawan's family that he might have gone off to a football game, and questioned whether he had a troubled past, says attorney Ron Haley. Then they allegedly didn't try to ping his cell phone until three days later, says Haley.
The teen's body was found Nov. 3 in a sugar cane field near the village of Loreauville, about 25 miles from his Baldwin home, the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office said in a Nov. 5
news release.
Although authorities told the family that Quawan had drowned, the cane field holds a minimal amount of water, and the photo indicates additional injury to the victim, he says.
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"Every local media outlet that I spoke with, that covers the Iberia Parish area, said that they did not even know a child was missing, let alone killed, until the family put them on notice," he says.
"A child was taken from, or last taken from, his parents' home without permission, and they report it to the police, and that's somehow not priority No. 1," says Haley. "That's mind-boggling to me."
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It is unclear if Bobby voluntarily left the home without permission or if he was unwillingly taken from the home.
The family said they reported him missing later that night after attempts to reach Bobby by phone were unsuccessful.
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After the family approached law enforcement with this information, the Iberia Parish Sheriff's deputies discovered Bobby's body in a wooded area in Loreauville. The Sheriff's Office initially said his body was found on Nov. 2. A sheriff's spokesperson would later say his body was discovered on Nov. 3.
The family says Bobby's father was notified the night of Nov. 3, but his mother wasn't notified until the next day.
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The preliminary findings of the independent autopsy are expected to be ready on Friday or Saturday, according to one of the family's attorneys.
"That's very encouraging," Trichell said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. "It begs the question: If we hired a private autopsy well after he was reported missing and the preliminary results are already ready, that means the cops had their results and did not disclose them. That's what the timeline would suggest. This will tell us which questions to ask."
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Although there has been little information revealed by authorities, the family has been getting information from a private investigator and the community.
Bobby's mom, Roxanne Nelson, was contacted by the mother of a mutual friend of Bobby's and the 17-year-old, according to Trichell.
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The caller alleges that the 17-year-old, his mother and his stepfather were under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms when they picked up Bobby. The call was
recorded and released publicly with the names redacted.
"It was totally out of the blue. That wasn't information she was aware of or even knew existed," Trichell said. "They reached out to Roxanne and said 'My son gave me this information. It was eating him up, and I wanted to tell you.'"
Others have offered tips to the family.
Neighbors reported that the 17-year-old, his mother and his stepfather allegedly packed their belongings in a moving van and left their Loreauville home earlier this week, Trichell said. It's been reported that the family has been asked to check in daily with the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office.
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"He didn't talk much to people," Celina Charles said. "He looked. He was always quiet. He liked to fish. He loved to ride his four-wheeler. He had a dog he was in love with."
Bobby purchased the pit bull, which he affectionately called My Baby, a few years ago from the same 17-year-old he was seen with the day he went missing, according to Charles.
Like the older teen, most of Bobby's friends were White, Charles said.
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Quawan 'Bobby' Charles' disappearance and death: What we know
