Friends, family and community members were mourning Monday a 4-year-old San Diego boy, whose body was found in Mission Bay about 15 hours after his disappearance triggered an Amber Alert.
Wesley Hilaire went missing while on an outing to Mission Beach with extended family members around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, according to San Diego Police.
An Amber Alert was broadcast across Southern California after a witness told investigators they saw the boy shortly beforehand walking with an unfamiliar man near the water. However, police later determined that the tip regarding a possible kidnapping was unfounded.
Wesley’s mother, Daniesha Hilaire, who was not present when the boy disappeared, remained at the scene overnight handing out fliers, according to news reports. The child’s father was away on a Navy deployment.
Hilaire told NBC7 her son was a bright boy.
“As a 4-year-old, he knew it all,” she said. “He knew more than any 4- year-old should probably know.”
Police and lifeguards spotted Wesley’s body in the waters off Pacific Beach shortly after 9:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the county Medical Examiner’s Office. A cause of death was not immediately issued, but police believe Wesley drowned.
A candlelight vigil for Wesley was held at Mission Bay Park Sunday night.
“It hurts to know that someone that small is gone now,” Wesley’s aunt, Rosalyn Smith, told Fox 5.
—City News Service
