Boy's Body Found Buried In Albuquerque Playground Sandbox

May 16, 2009 4:59 p.m. EST

Albuquerque, NM (AHN) - Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico are scrambling to identify a little boy who was found dead and buried in a city playground's sandbox Friday.

"This is one of those cases where I think every minute counts," Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz told reporters at a press conference Friday night. Schultz said he and his colleagues think the boy might be missing from a nearby neighborhood.

Police believe the boy, thought to be between the ages of 3 and 5, was dead less than 48 hours after being discovered. He was found by a woman who saw his shoe sticking out of the sand.

Police described the boy to local television station KRQE, as being about 40 inches long, with straight, short brown hair, wearing Sketcher sneakers that are black with silver and lime-green stripes, and wearing a red short-sleeve shirt with a picture of a 4x4 truck with oversized tires. He was also wearing nylon sweat pants.

The boy's ethnicity could not be determined because the heat from the sand discolored his skin.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 877-SOLV-APD.