LAS VEGAS — The body of a boy described as preschool-aged was found in a freezer in a Las Vegas home's garage and the mother's boyfriend has been arrested, police said.
Police obtained a search warrant and found the boy's remains Tuesday after a girl took a note to school in which the mother said she was being held against her will and didn't know the whereabouts of her young son and believed he was dead, police Lt. Ray Spencer said during a news conference.
After being contacted by the school, police set up a surveillance operation near the home, CBS affiliate KLAS-TV reported. Around 10 a.m. Tuesday, police saw a man, later identified as Brandon Toseland, and a woman, leave the home. Officers then pulled the car over.
The woman told police she had not seen her preschool-aged child since December 11 and also said her boyfriend, Toseland, did not allow her to go into certain areas of the home, including the garage.
Police obtained a search warrant for the home and Tuesday afternoon found the remains of the child. Police believe the child had been in the freezer since early December.
The girl, a daughter of the woman, was in the care of family members, Spencer said.
Toseland, who was not the father of the children, was initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping but also would be charged in the boy's death, Spencer said.
Neighbor Ebonie Washington told KLAS that her "mind is blown" after hearing the news.
"I really feel for that mother and that child you had to bring a note to school," Washington said. "It's really surprising and heartbreaking at the same time as a mother."
