Officials have confirmed the cause of death for 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez, who went missing from his New Orleans home earlier this month and was later found in a lagoon.
The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office spokesperson told PEOPLE via email on Wednesday, Aug. 27, that the preliminary cause of death is blunt force trauma from an alligator and drowning.
At a press conference, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said it is believed Bryan was attacked by an alligator and subsequently drowned, though the exact timing of his death remains uncertain, reported The Times-Picayune.
“We know that these are difficult outcomes, and we still have a grieving community and a grieving family,” Kirkpatrick said, according to CBS affiliate WWL-TV.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into his death.
Bryan’s body was recovered on Tuesday, Aug. 26, after a thermal drone detected a heat signature, Brian Trascher, vice president and spokesperson for the United Cajun Navy, previously told PEOPLE.
Later that day, Kirkpatrick confirmed that the United Cajun Navy’s drone had located his remains about 200 yards into the marsh, near the area where he was reported missing, according to FOX affiliate WVUE.
“This is indeed a profoundly sad day, but a day for some closure,” Kirkpatrick said.
She also addressed a five-hour delay between the initial report of the boy missing and when the New Orleans Police Department responded, according to NBC affiliate WDSU. “We know that we had a five-hour delay,” Kirkpatrick said. “We immediately opened up an internal investigation, which is a formal investigation on ourselves for that time delay.”
Authorities said Bryan was reported missing from his home after climbing out of his bedroom window around 10 a.m. on Aug. 14.
Bryan, who had a neurodevelopmental disorder and did not understand English or Spanish, was last seen wearing only an adult diaper, according to the Times-Picayune and a Louisiana State Police press release.
Surveillance footage captured him less than a mile from his home on Sevres Street, where his body was ultimately found.
In a statement following the discovery of his body, the City of New Orleans remembered Bryan as “a beloved child whose life, though far too short, left a lasting impression on all who knew him.”
“Bryan was a bright, charismatic, and energetic young boy whose joy and spirit touched the lives of his family, friends, and community,” the statement added.
