Police find body of Braylen Noble after days-long search

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The Lucas County Coroner has confirmed that the body found in the pool on Gibraltar Heights Drive in Toledo Wednesday was that of three-year-old Braylen Noble.

“At this point, it’s turned from a missing person investigation to a death investigation," Toledo Police Lt. Kellie Lenhardt told 13abc. "And it’s still a very active investigation.”

Police had previously searched the pool area on Friday after Braylen was reported missing but returned on Wednesday after days of searching turned up no results.

“It’s common practice in police investigations, once an area is searched, if nothing found, to go back and revisit that search area and see if anything was missed," said Lt. Lenhardt. "But we do want to reiterate that the area was searched numerous times by Toledo Fire and Rescue, the FBI, private search groups, and both live and cadaver dogs.”

On Wednesday morning, federal agents from the FBI were seen entering and exiting the building at the Hunter’s Ridge Apartments on Byrne Ave. where Braylen Noble and his mother lived. They were also searching the woods and walking around other buildings.

At one point Wednesday, Toledo Fire & Rescue were also on the scene, putting a drone in the air to aid in the search. Toledo Police spent the morning searching the woods and an area that was in question Tuesday night.

Noble was reported missing Friday afternoon when his grandmother called 911. Toledo Police released audio from the call on Tuesday; the call was placed around 30 minutes after he went missing. Authorities previously searched the apartment complex, including the pool on Friday, and expanded their search to areas around the apartments, as well as portions of Swan Creek. Large groups of volunteers have also joined the search over the intervening days.

By Wednesday afternoon, authorities returned their attention to the complex swimming pool taping off the area around the pool and covering it with tarps. A short time later, police confirmed they had found the body of a child they believed to be Braylen Noble.

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