Authorities have released more details about the death of 7-year-old Liam Husted, whose body was found by hikers late last month in what investigators believe was a killing at the hands of his mother.
KLAS obtained court documents showing that Liam was naked and had “multiple injuries” when he was found about eight feet from a hiking trail outside Las Vegas on May 28. The report does not indicate what cause the injuries, and authorities have not yet commented on Liam’s cause of death, but have arrested his mother, Samantha Rodriguez
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police were not immediately able to identify the deceased child based on the limited evidence at the scene, and shared a sketch of the boy with the public. A friend of Rodriguez’s contacted police about a week after Liam was found and said she had not seen or been in contact Rodriguez or her son, and that she was concerned the boy in the photo might be Liam. Police were then able to make a positive identification, with the help of photos found on Liam’s fathers Facebook page, KLAS reports.
READ MORE: Neighbor describes bizarre scene of abandoned, crying boy before 7-year-old Liam Husted was found dead on hiking trail [VIDEO]
A motive for the apparent killing is not yet known. Rodriguez left her Santa Cruz, California, home where she lived with Liam’s father on or before May 24, and left a note for Nicholas Husted saying she was going to find another place for her and Liam to live. Nicholas Husted did not immediately suspect his son was in danger, and called police a week later when he was unable to reach Liam or Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and Liam Husted are believed to have traveled through southern California and to Nevada, where investigators believe Liam died. Rodriguez then drove to Colorado where she was arrested last week and is expected to be extradited to California. KLAS reports that she remains in Denver for now and will appear in court for an advisement hearing on Thursday morning.
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