Rain Might Have Muffled Children's Cries For Help
Boys Had Been Missing Since Wednesday
POSTED: 5:13 am MDT June 23, 2005
UPDATED: 3:04 pm MDT June 25, 2005
CAMDEN, N.J. -- A hard rain on the night three New Jersey boys went missing may have hampered searchers looking for them.Their bodies were found in the trunk of a car parked in the same yard in which they were last seen.
Heavy showers may have muffled any noises from the well-insulated trunk, which was parked far enough from the house to make it difficult to hear any voices coming from it.Also, a prosecutor says the hydraulic plunger that keeps the trunk from closing wasn't working, so the lid was able to close and lock as soon as the boys stopped propping it up.Authorities said the boys -- Jesstin Pagan, 5; Daniel Agosto, 6; and Anibal Cruz, 11 -- died from accidental suffocation.Foul play is not suspected.Neighbors said the Toyota had been parked behind the Cruz home for at least three months. City Police Chief Edwin Figueroa said the vehicle had been searched before, but it's not clear whether the trunk had been checked.The families of the three children appeared on camera and made a tearful plea to the public Friday afternoon for help finding their missing boys. There was a $9,000 reward and the public was invited to contribute.The reward from the Citizens Crime Commission was for any information related to the three missing boys.
"All you guys, we love you. We want you back. We're not mad at you. Please come back. Please bring my baby back," said Jessica Pagan, mother of Jesstin "Manny" Pagan. "If you have him, please let him go, please.""If anyone has seen the three kids, please contact that number that they gave you," said Iraida Roman, mother of Daniel Agosto. "We want them back home as soon as possible."The mother of Anibal Cruz spoke in Spanish and asked for anyone with information to come forward.During the emotional pleas, many family members, along with some officials, were in tears on the podium.
Police had been working closely with family members to track down all possible leads.More than 100 searchers, including police officers, volunteers, firefighters, helicopters, dive teams and bloodhounds, were looking for the three children.
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"All you guys, we love you. We want you back. We're not mad at you. Please come back. Please bring my baby back," said Jessica Pagan, mother of Jesstin "Manny" Pagan. "If you have him, please let him go, please.""If anyone has seen the three kids, please contact that number that they gave you," said Iraida Roman, mother of Daniel Agosto. "We want them back home as soon as possible."The mother of Anibal Cruz spoke in Spanish and asked for anyone with information to come forward.During the emotional pleas, many family members, along with some officials, were in tears on the podium.
Slideshow: Boys Vanish From N.J. YardPolice had been working closely with family members to track down all possible leads.More than 100 searchers, including police officers, volunteers, firefighters, helicopters, dive teams and bloodhounds, were looking for the three children.
Previous Stories:
- June 24, 2005: Mothers Of Missing N.J. Kids Plead For Information
- June 23, 2005: 3 Boys Disappear From New Jersey Neighborhood
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