Three New Jersey boys found dead

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Three Camden, N.J. boys who had been missing since Wednesday June 22, were found dead by the father of one of the three in the trunk of a car. The car was located in the same yard where the boys were last seen. The 2-day search for them by their parents, police and volunteers took place in the Cramer Hill section of Camden, the city located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

Several square miles of land around the Agosto home and even the river banks of the Delaware were searched for the three boys: Anibal "Juni" Cruz, 11; Daniel "Danny" Agosto, 6; and Jesstin "Manny" Pagan, 5. Many friends and relatives, as well as many people who had never met the boys, helped in the search.

However, on Friday June 24, an uncle of one of the boys and the father of the Agosto boy opened the trunk of a Toyota Camry parked in Cruz's yard. They were looking for car battery jumper cables and discovered the boys' bodies. They had suffocated when the trunk lid dropped closed on them.

Television cameras captured the tragic discovery of the boys on film. David Agosto was so distraught he was taken away by paramedics on a stretcher. The TV coverage was on the scene because thousands of residents were to gather for a vigil for the missing children.

Investigators ruled out foul play, calling the incident a "tragic accident." Two of the boys, Cruz and Pagan, had learning and developmental disabilities. The car where the boys were discovered was reportedly not in running condition, and sat in the yard for more than a year.

The boys were trapped inside the trunk when temperatures were in the 80's °F. The well insulated trunk compartment was a enough to suffocate them and muffle cries for help. There was also no inside release to the trunk that would allow for escape.

The Camden County prosecutor has demanded an investigaton into why the boys were not found sooner.

Sources

Joel Bewley and Dwight Ott. "Police chief welcomes inquiry" — Philadelphia Inquirer, June 27, 2005
G.W. Miller III. "Cop probe under fire" — Philadelphia Daily News, June 27, 2005
Courier Post Staff. "Camden City Council asks police chief, prosecutor to discuss three boys' deaths" — Courier Post Online, June 27, 2005
Jeffrey Gettleman and John Holl. "3 Camden Boys Found Dead in Trunk of Car in Yard" — New York Times, June 25, 2005
Allan Chernoff. "Three missing boys found dead" — CNN, June 24, 2005
"Bodies of three missing boys found in Camden, N.J." — Reuters, June 24, 2005
AP. "Missing N.J. boys found dead in car trunk" — USA Today, June 25, 2005

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