A tragic turn of events unfolded as the body of a missing Kansas teenager was discovered in Missouri, following a startling confession. A man revealed that he had transported the boy’s body across state lines before abandoning it in a creek bed.

On Sunday evening, Airen Andula was reported missing, as detailed by KSHB. The young boy was last seen biking to a neighbor’s residence to care for their pets during their absence.

The search, which spanned two days, took a grim turn when 47-year-old Damon Leonard reached out to Bates County deputies in Missouri. He disclosed that Andula was deceased and that he could guide authorities to the location of the body.

Leonard directed investigators to a secluded area roughly half an hour away from his residence. There, search teams uncovered the boy’s remains at the bottom of a steep ravine, as reported by KMBC.

In Missouri, Leonard now faces charges for abandoning a corpse, and court documents suggest that additional charges related to the boy’s death are anticipated in Kansas.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department with help from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are leading the investigation. Kansas City Police said they were asked to conduct the investigation because of a conflict of interest in Linn County.

Investigators are awaiting results of an autopsy for cause and manner of death.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Our community is mourning this heartbreaking loss, and we respectfully ask that the family’s privacy be honored as they grieve.”

Leonard is being held on a $100,000 cash only bail in Kansas, KSHB said.