Farmer Finds Human Remains In Cornfield. Police Believe It Could Be 11-Year-Old Boy Missing Since May

Authorities announced Thursday that human remains were found in an Iowa cornfield and that they believe the body could belong to a missing 11-year-old boy, according to reports.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Poweshiek County Sheriff confirmed a child’s body was found around 2:00 p.m. Thursday after a local farmer working in the field came across human remains, according to KCCI. Investigators then discovered clothing that matched the description of clothing Xavior Harrelson, who went missing May 27, was last seen wearing.

“It moves us into another stage of the investigation so in that sense we are moving forward,” Sheriff Thomas Kriegel said, according to KCRG. The area had not previously been searched, according to the report. (RELATED: Body Found In Wyoming Likely Missing 22-Year-old Gabby Petito, FBI Says)

Mitch Mortvedt, who works with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said the body had been in the field for a “significant” amount of time and authorities would need time to confirm the identity and cause of death, according to KCRG.

Remains found in an Iowa cornfield match the description of Xavior Harrelson, who vanished days before his 11th birthday in May, investigators say. https://t.co/3Va3jWyIEC

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 1, 2021

The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office said Harrelson was wearing a red t-shirt, blue pajama pants and black high top shoes.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the remains belong to Harrelson, however, according to KCCI.

Harrelson was last seen riding his bike in Montezuma where he lived with his mother, according to KCCI. He disappeared on May 27, just days before he was to turn 11. He was reported missing by a neighbor, according to the report.

Kriegel said Harrelson’s mother had been made aware of the discovery and that “naturally she was upset.”