TAMPA — Tampa police divers found the body of 2-year-old Armani Pierce Wednesday morning in the Hillsborough River after a huge search overnight after he went missing at Temple Crest Park.
According to police, the toddler ran off around 8 p.m. while the family was watching a football practice at Temple Crest Park, located at 8116 37th Street North. Officials said the boy’s mother had begun packing up the car to leave when he vanished.
The boy, Armani Pierce, was near the stands with his family before disappearing. Police say Pierce was wearing a gray t-shirt, dark blue basketball shorts and white Nike shoes. He has a scar on his top left ear.
Crews are searching by land, air, and water for the little boy. Officials said they are concerned because the practice field is located near the Hillsborough River.
Family members and friends searched on their own for about 1 1/2 hours before calling police.
Officers conducted grid searches of the entire neighborhood, walking with flashlights and going door-to-door. In addition, police searched by helicopter using heat seeking cameras to detect whether the boy was hiding or sleeping somewhere in the brush near the river.
Source: BayNews9
