Editor’s note: The article has been updated to clarify that he was found in the Amite River.
CENTRAL, La. (BRPROUD) – A boy who died after he was found in the Amite River on Christmas Eve during a hiking trip in Central was identified by the coroner’s office Tuesday.
The boy identified as four-year-old Matias Stricker Abreu got lost and wandered off while on a hike with his father, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said. He was reported missing and was later found by Central firefighters unconscious in the water.
The Central Fire Department said firefighters took the boy out of the river and began all life-saving efforts. Multiple agencies, including the Baton Rouge Police Department, the Baton Rouge Fire Department, the Zachary Fire Department, the Zachary Police Department and the Department of Corrections were all at the scene.
On Tuesday, Dec. 27, the coroner’s office said Abreu’s cause and manner of death are still pending after an autopsy.
The child’s death is being investigated by the sheriff’s office.