The five-year-old non-verbal boy missing in the Upper Hutt has been found dead in the Hutt River after a nearly four-hour search.
Leonidas was reported missing from the Ngāti Tama Park at 5:40pm on Tuesday.
An extensive search was launched, with Fire and Emergency, police and local residents combing through surrounding bush and looking along the bank of the Hutt River. His body was found at 9:15pm.
"This is an absolutely tragic outcome and our thoughts are with the boy’s whānau," a police spokesperson says.
"Police would like to thank all those who assisted in the search, which included many members of our community."
