A heartbreaking development has emerged from Kansas, where a 13-year-old boy who disappeared on Sunday was tragically discovered dead the following day in a creek bed across state lines in Missouri.

Authorities from Linn County, Kansas, identified the boy as Airen Andula. He was last spotted near Pleasanton, sparking an extensive search after being reported missing on Sunday evening. The search operation extended to a wooded area in Missouri, as well as trailers, homes, and outbuildings within a nearby lake community, according to Linn County Sheriff James Akes.

Efforts to locate Andula were temporarily halted early Monday due to hazardous conditions, but search teams resumed later, ultimately finding his body in a ravine just over the Missouri border.

The investigation took a significant turn when Damon Leonard, 47, allegedly contacted Bates County police on Monday, claiming to know Andula’s fate and confirming his death. Deputy Sheriff Amy Fishbaugh revealed that Leonard confessed to transporting Andula’s body from Kansas to Missouri, leaving him in a creek bed in Bates County, as reported by KCTV.

While the nature of Leonard’s relationship with Andula remains unclear, reports indicate that Leonard resides in Pleasanton, which is near the location where Andula was last seen riding his bicycle before his disappearance on Sunday.

Andula’s cause of death was not disclosed.

Leonard has pleaded not guilty to felony abandonment of a corpse. He remains jailed on $100,000 cash-only bond as he awaits a January 15 court date.

[Feature Photo: Linn County police]