SALEM – The Salem community will host a funeral service for a 5-year-old boy whose body was found inside a suitcase in the woods in New Pekin.
The boy’s body was found inside a suitcase on April 16th in the 7000 block of East Holder Road by a resident who was hunting mushrooms.
Weathers Funeral Home will host the boy’s funeral on June 1st at 11 a.m. The City of Salem has donated a plot at Crown Hill Cemetery. The funeral will be live-streamed.
All of the funeral costs have been covered by generous donations.
Police describe the boy as black and about four feet tall. An autopsy was conducted that led to no answers about the boy’s death according to officials.
State police and the FBI are working together and have been in contact with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children according to authorities.
Police have started a special tip-line to help solve the boy’s case. Anyone with information is urged to call the number 888-437-6432.