The body of a northwestern Alabama boy who wandered off into a wooded area with his dog on New Year's Eve has been found, and his father has been arrested in connection to explosives found inside the family's home, according to officials and online reports.
The body of Johnathan Boley, 4, was found on Jan. 2 just two miles outside his home, Sheriff Nick Smith of the Walker County Sheriff's Office announced at apress conference on Jan. 2. His dog, Buck, was found alive with the boy's body.
"Like so many of you across our community, we're devastated by this news," Smith said. "Johnathan was an adventurous boy, and he loved the outdoors."
According to Smith, both the sheriff's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were involved in the search, although the sheriff's office is leading the investigation. Neither the FBI in Birmingham nor the Walker County Sheriff's Office immediately responded to USA TODAY's requests for comment on Jan. 2.
The boy was last seen around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, in Jasper, about 43 miles northwest of Birmingham, theAlabama Law Enforcement Agencyshared online.
Johnathan, sometimes "John John" by those in his family, was last seen with his dog, a lab mix named Buck. The boy was wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, black pants, and Paw Patrol shoes, said Smith of the Walker County Sheriff's Office at an earlierpress conference on Jan. 2.
Smith added that the boy was outside playing with his brother and the family's dog on Dec. 31. He asked community members to be on the lookout for the boy and his dog.
"Check your ring cameras," Smith said at the time. "Check your deer cameras. Check your tree stands. Check your deer houses. Check your deer cameras. Look under your carports, your garages, your houses."
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Smith said earlier on Jan. 2 that kids wandering off into the woods has happened before and oftentimes if they're with dogs, they stay together. He mentioned that weather conditions have been quite cold recently, but he was hoping the boy and his dog had been able to stay warm.
The day Johnathan was last seen, theNational Weather Servicein Birmingham called for temperatures in the upper 40s to middle 50s. Since then, temperatures in the area have been in themid to upper 30s. On Jan. 2, the weather service called for temperatures in the 60s withincreasing rain chances.
After the boy went missing, authorities found explosives at the family's home and the boy's father was arrested and charged with unlawful manufacturing of a destructive device and two counts of chemical endangerment of a child, perWBRCandWVTM13.
The Walker County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment on the father's charges on Jan. 2.
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Johnathan loved the outdoors, Smith said at the press conference this week.
"Him and his brother are very adventurous," Smith said. "I guess the best way to describe them is just boys being boys. They're just outdoor kids."
Smith said on Jan. 2 that over 160 volunteers took part in the search and covered about 500 acres.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Body of 4-year-old Alabama boy found 2 miles from home, officials say
