The body of a 3-year-old Wisconsin boy was found in a dumpster Thursday afternoon, days after his mother was found slain outside a Milwaukee home.

Major Harris, the subject of a statewide AMBER Alert, was last seen on October 9 in La Crosse, where he lived with his mother, Mallery M. Muenzenberger, 25. But Muezenberger was found shot to death on October 14, with no signs of the toddler, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

A suspect, 20-year-old Jaheem Clark, reportedly shot himself on Sunday as police prepared to take him into custody. The day after Clark’s suicide, police found Muezenberger’s vehicle with blood inside, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.

Police were led to the north Milwaukee area where they found the toddler’s body by information given up by people investigators brought in for questioning in the past 24 hours.

Because Muenzenberger was from La Crosse, Milwaukee police struggled to identify her and were unaware a child was involved in the case until Saturday, when they contacted her relatives.

Although police have not characterized Muezenberger’s relationship with Clark beyond saying they knew one another, her family said in a statement that she “faced her death at the hands of domestic violence.”

“Her son was her life – her joy – her purpose, her future,” the family said. “She loved her family.”

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[Featured image: Mallery Muezenberger and Major Harris/handout]