Found Deceased CO - David Puckett, 6, Aurora, 31 Dec 2016

[alreetlike]

Such sad news.

I think this is probably a tragic accident and he has tried walking across the pond and fallen through ice. It's a shame he wasn't located sooner (i.e. no one saw a break in the ice) but that wouldn't have changed the outcome.

Must remember this one as a success for the dogs.

 

[Bethan]

Press Conference 1.3.17 @ 11:10am MST via Periscope (Aurora Police Dept)

Body found in pond. Body is a child. More details to come.

I am so so sorry ( :


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[Pamela_Brewer]

As others have said...it looks like he probably walked onto thin ice on night 1 and fell in and drowned. Then, the water likely iced back up where he had fallen through. Very sad. Prayers for his family. Heartbreaking.

I have to say that I am a bit shocked that a dog actually led them to this pond.

BBM
Wow! I hadn't heard that!
Thanks!

 

[NewMama]

https://mobile.twitter.com/AmandaDTV/status/816347175227506688


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How heartbreaking. I always hold out hope - even if it's just a bit.

Was the pond frozen the night he went missing? If so it looks like he's at least 10' in from the nearest edge. He may have tried to walk it. I'm from down south - is that something kids do in colder climates? Or generally discouraged? Are there lights around that pond? Is it possible he wasn't aware where he was stepping and fell through the ice?

So very sad. Rest In Peace, David.

ETA - TT a little glitchy and I see many posts that answered most of my questions.

I imagine the divers knew to look toward the fountains because of the water flow. A great point was brought up (Steelman), my 2yr old is fascinated by fountains. My 5yr is, too, but knows you want walk on water. If the pond was frozen then David might have tried to get a closer look at the fountains.

 

[DatelineFan]

If the pond wasn't iced over then it's a real puzzler as to why David would go into the water. It makes more sense that it was iced and he walked on it for some reason. I don't get why searchers didn't see a break that froze over. It should have been noticeable, right?

He must have headed straight to the park. Why? How did he even know to head in the right direction?

A little girl I know who turned 3 a month ago knows her way through the city (San Francisco) to her favorite park. Kids are smart.

 

[Pamela_Brewer]

Periscope Live (My transcription of press conference):

Police Chief: Nicholas Metz

- 12.31.16, 5:45 pm 15720 E Amherst
- David left voluntarily - no evidence of abduction, not ruled out
- No Amber Alert due to not meeting criteria - could change
- David wearing: Green camouflage pants, black tshirt, black & orange shoes, tan girl's coat not fit for the cold weather
- 4', 48lb, brn hair, blu/haz eyes
- attends Dartmouth Elementary
- Reverse 911 calls reaching over 20k residents, will continue sending and expanding range
- David has wandered off twice before
- Canvassing area heavily, using available resources: patrol, emergency response, srt, crimes against children, major crimes unit
- Child Missing & Abducted Team, JeffCo bloodhound, Denver PD helicopter, Arapahoe County Search & Rescue and Sheriff, NCMC
- Speaking with teachers and school staff
- Somebody knows something, somebody saw something - call 911 immediately, any leads are significant
- Stick with Twitter, FB, other social media

Mom Stephanie Pucket:
Help me find, I'm trying, David he's a good kid. He's very happy. He's very energetic. He's very friendly. David's only 6 years old. He's about 4 foot tall. He's. The coat he's wearing is not a very thick coat. I'm worried with how cold it is that something really bad might happen to him. And if you guys can please help me find him. If you see him pls call the police immediately. If by chance you picked him up last night because it was NYE pls call. Please bring my baby home.

COP:
Questions
1. When she noticed he was gone? They were all at home. They realized he left the home & contacted us.
2. Was it through an open door? No info.
3. Slight learning disorder but not something to be too worried about. Not Asperger's or Autism, just a slight learning disorder.
4. Family gave no permission for him to go somewhere. If child is at your home, contact 911 immediately.
5. History of wandering off before. 1 case when he was walking down the street late at night; concerned citizen stopped him and called 911. 1 case where he wandered into a convenience store.
6. Utilizing people on foot. Utilizing helicopters, maybe drones.
7. Highest priority for APD right now.
8. Needs media to get info out.
9. Need more volunteers? APD will coordinate this and get back to media.
10. How did this child get out and go missing? What is the parents' responsibility? Call 911. Parents have to answer a lot of questions.
11. From everything APD can tell, it was not an abduction.
12. Utilizing surveillance cameras and footage.
13. Will talk more with family and neighbors.

BBM

I'm praying this was a horrible accident! If he had a history of wandering off, he probably knew how to get to the fountain. IMO

 

[Blaverty]

The pump takes in water from the pond to push it up. Therefore, water (and anything in the pond) moves toward the pump.

So if there was a body blocking the pump in the water, wouldn't the outflow from the fountain be a little affected? No one noticed?


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[kanzz]

So if there was a body blocking the pump in the water, wouldn't the outflow from the fountain be a little affected? No one noticed?


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The pump would likely take in water from all around the base, so the body would maybe have blocked only one location. It might have put a stress on the motor, but most are designed to handle some amount of debris anyway (leaves, etc.).

 

[Ontario Mom]

So if there was a body blocking the pump in the water, wouldn't the outflow from the fountain be a little affected? No one noticed?


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I had the same thought. The water pressure of the fountain would be considerably lower than usual. Although, pumps of that size are incredibly powerful and have commercial grade filters as well.

Heartbreaking conclusion for his family, no matter how he ended up there.

 

[apricot]

I'm so sorry for poor little David and his family and friends. Colorado has its share of heartbreak, that is for sure.

The "300 days of sunshine" was a ploy to get people to move there to work on the railroad - http://www.westword.com/news/colora...and-states-climatologist-tells-us-why-5875821

There are not 300 sunny, beautiful days in Colorado. I have seen snow accumulation stick around all around the Boulder and Denver areas for weeks. The whole "it melts the same day" is also a myth- it does happen but I didn't see that regularly.

 

[LietKynes]

Rest gently, David !

Curious if there's any security video of him out walking ? Did anyone approach him ? Older kids, etc.?

 

[nikb]

Not surprised to see this outcome but it is still so sad. It really does sound like a tragic accident to me, but I'm glad they are investigating just in case.

If it is an accident I hope some lessons can be learned from it that might help others.

Poor thing. Rest in warm and comfortable peace little one.

 

[nikb]

As to the practical questions, if he was found in or near the pump that makes sense. It pulls everything towards it.

I imagine the fountain could be a big draw, especially if lit up at night. And of course if running the ice wouldn't be thick or stable the closer you got to it.

As for why no one saw a refrozen cracked spot, it doesn't look like a particularly smooth pond. If it's regularly warming up and refreezing I'm sure the ice all looks pretty cracked and foggy under the surface of the new ice. Also - ugh hurts to type this - he's a small child. If he fell straight in with no real time to fight or struggle, there might not be a very large crack or hole where he slipped into the water.

 

[Pamela_Brewer]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1830826120536021&id=1829954270623206

Comment by AJB
The FBI & Police Department walked through their house on Monday.

They REALLY were looking everywhere!

Poor little fella, RIP. 😢

 

[Tulessa]

R.I.P. sweetie.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/01/03/body-pulled-from-pond-not-definitive-if-its-missing-boy/

 

[Onebest]

Such sad news.

I think this is probably a tragic accident and he has tried walking across the pond and fallen through ice. It's a shame he wasn't located sooner (i.e. no one saw a break in the ice) but that wouldn't have changed the outcome.

Must remember this one as a success for the dogs.

Grateful, eternally grateful to the K9 Teams who helped recover little Davids body. Am heartbroken for his family and loved ones and all those that tried so hard to bring him home safe. Its a tormenting hurt when it just doesnt happen.
Praying for comfort and Gods gentle kindness to be with all.

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

I'm so sorry for poor little David and his family and friends. Colorado has its share of heartbreak, that is for sure.

The "300 days of sunshine" was a ploy to get people to move there to work on the railroad - http://www.westword.com/news/colora...and-states-climatologist-tells-us-why-5875821

There are not 300 sunny, beautiful days in Colorado. I have seen snow accumulation stick around all around the Boulder and Denver areas for weeks. The whole "it melts the same day" is also a myth- it does happen but I didn't see that regularly.

I disagree, respectfully. Sunny doesn't have to equal warm, but the sun does shine most days. Roads are usually dry by the end of the day when it snows that morning because the sun helps. Boulder is a different story with roads...they don't focus as much money and time into snow removal as some other cities. Denver side streets as well. You get your main arteries plowed first and foremost and you're lucky if a plow comes through a week after a really big storm. If you have a north facing house, your driveway and street will likely stay slick. But otherwise, it does melt rather quickly, overall. My hubby is from Michigan and we've visited in the winter. Now that's some snow that stays.

 

[marinthinker]

The tracking dogs and bloodhounds are useless..............they should just leave them at home and quit wasting time. I can't tell you the countless searches that have been conducted using those dogs and eventually the missing person was found dead a few hundred feet away from where they were last seen. The dogs never picked up on a scent........ever. Lindsey Piccone is the most recent one that comes to mind, but there are dozens of others, maybe even hundreds of cases like that. I've evolved to the point now where I think the entire concept of tracking dogs is nothing more than an urban myth.

Also, I think they are expanding the search perimeter out way too far. It was dark, it was cold, he was alone, and he was mad.................he didn't go very far. Like many little boys his age, I'll bet he has a favorite hiding place that few people know about with maybe the exception of his brother and some other friends. If this was a campground or a forest, I would be all for the idea of expanding the search out 3 or 4 miles, but this is an urban area with plenty of good hiding places within a couple of blocks from his home.

Another thing, if his house has a fireplace and a chimney, somebody needs to skedaddle their butt up on the roof and take a look down inside of it.

BBM
Body believed to be of missing 6-year-old Aurora boy found in icy park pond
POSTED 11:12 AM, JANUARY 3, 2017, BY CHUCK HICKEY, UPDATED AT 12:57PM, JANUARY 3, 2017
Bloodhounds were brought in early in the investigation, but a speciality dog was brought in Monday night and it gave indications around the pond. Firefighters went into the water Tuesday morning and found the body, Metz said.

 

[Momma2cam]

I disagree, respectfully. Sunny doesn't have to equal warm, but the sun does shine most days. Roads are usually dry by the end of the day when it snows that morning because the sun helps. Boulder is a different story with roads...they don't focus as much money and time into snow removal as some other cities. Denver side streets as well. You get your main arteries plowed first and foremost and you're lucky if a plow comes through a week after a really big storm. If you have a north facing house, your driveway and street will likely stay slick. But otherwise, it does melt rather quickly, overall. My hubby is from Michigan and we've visited in the winter. Now that's some snow that stays.

Greatly depends on where in Michigan. We often comparable snow and temps to what you're describing. It's 43 and raining currently and all snow has been melted for over a week. We've only had one snow fall this season right before Christmas. However, northern michigan gets much more snow and for longer durations. Perhaps Colorado is similar. That said, most days are not sunny regardless of snow in the winter!

I was comparing our weather to Colorado's the last few days to vision how this little guy may still be alive. Our ponds are only slightly frozen right now, too, so can see how he likely fell in.

Heartbreaking to think about.

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[ZhaZhaHa]

And all of those homes down that main road, nobody saw him walking? Nobody was headed out to dinner at that time? I'm just so sad about this. Are we so focused on our own world (phones), that we're missing things around us?