Questions remain after missing 15-year-old Benton Harbor boy found dead in St. Joe River

 

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- The Berrien County Sheriff's Department says its Marine Patrol recovered a body from the St. Joe River around 12:25 p.m. this afternoon.

Although authorities are waiting for the medical examiner to obtain a positive ID, the family of 15-year-old Ericksson Mejia Cruz say it is him the police recovered from the river.

Cruz was last seen Thursday night before his parents left to get groceries. When they returned, Cruz was nowhere to be found.

His family members scoured the Napier Avenue Bridge and the St. Joe River below for days. That was Cruz’s last known location where his phone signal was traced.

The family says it's possible the police have a video from bridge cameras that show two people jumping, but that has not been confirmed by authorities.

Cruz's body is being taken to the medical examiner's office in Kalamazoo and the death remains an active investigation.