Milwaukee police confirm missing 3-year-old boy found dead

MILWAUKEE — A 3-year-old Wisconsin boy who has been missing for a week was found dead Thursday, authorities said.

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Major Harris, who has been the subject of an Amber Alert since Saturday, was found in a container near some garbage cans in Milwaukee, WISN-TV reported. Police did not release any additional details, according to the television station.

The boy had been last seen on Oct. 9, WTMJ reported.

The boy’s mother, Mallery Muenzenberger, 25, was found fatally shot in the backyard of a Milwaukee home on Oct. 14, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Harris and Muenzenberger were from Onalaska, located west of Milwaukee, according to the newspaper.

In the past 24 hours, six arrests were made in her death, but four people have been released. A 21-year-old man and a 29-year-old man remain in custody, according to WISN

“This is an ongoing investigation, this is something that is very fluid at this time,” Jeffrey Norman, the acting chief for the Milwaukee Police Department, told reporters. “My heart and my condolences go out to the family.”

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett issued a statement saying, “I share the sadness people throughout Milwaukee feel with the death of Major Harris, and I offer condolences to his family. Thank you to the police, other city officials and citizens who have worked to find Major. Our prayers for justice and peace continue.”

Thursday’s discovery of Harris’ body came after a series of searches from Milwaukee to Germantown in the days after the Amber Alert was first issued, WITI reported.

Police developed a suspect in Jaheem Clark, 20, but authorities said he died by suicide Sunday as officers approached the home where he was staying, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The next day, police found Muenzenberger’s black SUV near a laundromat in Milwaukee, the newspaper reported. Blood was found inside the vehicle.

Muenzenberger’s family released a statement Thursday, saying that they are “heartbroken.”

“Mallery was raised in a family unit based on their strong faith. She attended bible studies, bible camps, weekly church services and daily prayer. Her son was her life, her joy, her purpose -- her future,” the statement said. “She loved her family.”

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, an autopsy on the boy is scheduled for Friday, WISN reported.

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