A 13-year-old Kansas boy who was found dead on Monday in a ravine in Missouri was fatally mauled by dogs, according to reports.
Airen Andula was last seen riding his bike near Pleasanton on Sunday. The next day, Andula’s body was found in a creek bed in Missouri — and his mother told WDAF that an unknown number of dogs had attacked him.
“I asked them how did he die. He said he was attacked by animals – found in the woods, attacked by animals,” she said.
According to the news outlet, suspect Damon Leonard, 47, led police to Andula’s body. On Monday, Leonard allegedly called Bates County, Missouri, police and told them he knew Andula’s whereabouts and that he was dead. Leonard reportedly then confessed to transporting the teen’s body from Kansas to Missouri and leaving him in a creek bed in Bates County.
Leonard reportedly lives in Pleasanton — and sources told WDAF that authorities found about 12 dogs when they responded to his home on Monday. Andula and Leonard live within walking distance of one another.
According to WDAF, Andula vanished on Sunday, after leaving home to help a friend let out their dogs and chickens while they were out of town.
“These people portrayed to this community that they were good people – they went around helping people, like food if they were in need, they gave them food. They took my kids to the swimming pool all summer long,” Andula’s mother said of Leonard.
Officials have not publicly disclosed how Andula died.
Currently, Leonard is charged with felony abandonment of a corpse. He remains jailed on a $100,000 cash-only bond as he awaits a January 15 court date.
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[Feature Photo: Linn County police]
