The body of a two-year-old who disappeared Monday afternoon in south Clinton County has been found, according to the Clinton County sheriff’s office. Two hours ago, Sheriff Sean Dush said they had “every resource out there” looking for Germain Jones. Dush said Germain went missing from his family’s house a day ago after a babysitter let him out for a few minutes while she was in the shower. “We regret to inform you that the missing child has been found deceased,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page around 5 p.m.
Clinton County Search and Rescue officials have said the boy is dead. They’ve widened the search area, but they’re still going through what they already have. They expect the search to continue until after dark on Tuesday. First responders are also working late. The State Department of Public Safety is involved, but so far there’s no indication of foul play. The sheriff says they’ve spoken to the family, asked the Attorney General’s office to investigate, and the State Medical Examiner will do an exam. On Monday night, around 300 volunteers and cops were searching for Germain Jones. On Tuesday, more than 500 people were still searching, but they still haven’t located him. Volunteers are still searching all night, but the real work will be done by professional teams.
What Happened to Germain Jones?
Dush, at a 3:30 p.m. press conference, said optimistic that the boy would be found alive and would release a statement once that’s confirmed. Dush said he’s been in contact with families of those who lost their children and that the search has been broadened to include parts of Ingham and Van Buren counties. The boy was at home in the 13000 block of South Bauer Road when a babysitter took a shower Monday afternoon. About 10 minutes later, Dush said, the babysitter noticed the boy was gone, briefly searched, and then called 911 about 2 p.m. Dush said they’d checked some ponds and dive teams were working the river. Dush declined to release the boy’s name but said he’s two years old. Dush said the babysitter went to shower Monday afternoon and that the boy went missing on Bauer Road north of Looking Glass River.
Dush said he didn’t know exactly how far the boy could have gone, but he thought he was at least a mile away. They had witnesses who saw him outside the house, and they got pictures to confirm it was him. They searched some ponds around the area, but they were focusing on the Looking Glass River area near the boy’s home. They have a helicopter and thermal imaging drones out there right now, but Dush said they need more time to find him. They’ll give more details later this afternoon.
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