In a chilling discovery, a group of hunters in Louisiana found human remains inside an alligator they had captured. The incident occurred near a lagoon close to a New Orleans home where a 12-year-old autistic boy, Bryan Vazquez, had been attacked and killed by an alligator. Bryan had been missing for almost a month before his body was found in the lagoon near his family’s residence.
Following the gruesome discovery of Bryan’s body, authorities enlisted hunters to eliminate the “nuisance alligators” in the area and potentially locate the predator responsible for the boy’s death. A group of hunters operating near Lake Pontchartrain in Lacombe, Louisiana, made the grim discovery on Tuesday. They found what seemed to be the upper remains of a human inside an alligator they had captured.
The remains were promptly handed over to the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office. DNA testing will be conducted to determine if the remains match Bryan’s, as reported by WWLTV.
On the morning of August 14, Bryan’s mother, Hilda Vasquez, left him in the care of his 11-year-old sister. Bryan, who was nonverbal due to his autism, managed to slip out of an unsecured window and wander away from home. This was not the first time Bryan had wandered off, according to authorities. Surveillance footage captured that morning showed Bryan near the front of his home, wearing only an adult diaper.
When Bryan was just three months old, he suffered severe injuries at the hands of his mother, including a skull fracture, broken legs, a collapsed lung, and a traumatic brain injury. These injuries were said to have contributed to his autism and nonverbal condition. Vasquez was convicted of the abuse in 2013, and Bryan was removed from her care. However, at an unspecified time, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services returned Bryan to Vasquez’s custody.
Bryan’s body was not discovered until August 26, weeks after he had gone missing. Vasquez was arrested and charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide in relation to her son’s tragic death. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison. Vasquez is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing next week.