CHEYENNE, Wyoming (AP) — Police in Wyoming continued today to investigate the death of a 2-year-old boy whose body was found in a dumpster at an apartment complex.
Athian Rivera was found several hours after he was reported missing in Cheyenne around 1 p.m. Friday. Police still weren’t saying Monday how the boy died and if they suspected foul play.
Notes of condolence and dozens of stuffed animals were attached to a chain-link fence partially surrounding a dumpster at the apartment complex Monday. A fierce wind blew and few people were out in the area.
The Facebook account of Cheyenne resident Kassy Orona led with “RIP my perfect innocent son, Athian Emmanuel Rivera” and included several posts of mourning.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever get over this … you’ll always be with me baby boy,” read one post by Orona’s account Friday.
The post indicated Orona had two other children but didn’t explain or hint at how the toddler died or got in the dumpster. Orona didn’t return a Facebook message seeking comment and didn’t have a listed phone number.
Police and firefighters conducted an extensive search Friday after hearing of the missing toddler. They used a reverse 911 call to tell people within a half-mile of the Lexington Hills apartment complex to be on the lookout for him.
Wyoming News Now reports that law enforcement isn’t sharing many details, and investigators have yet to reveal if there is a suspect in the toddler’s death.
“This investigation is active, and we do not suspect there is any present danger to the public,” Cheyenne Police Department public information officer Alexandria Farkas said.
County and state law enforcement agencies assisted Cheyenne police in the search for the toddler.