Cops search landfill for body of missing boy, 6, they believe was hidden in a dumpster after the victim's mother and her twin sister were arrested for murder
- Duke Flores, six, of Apple Valley has been missing for almost three weeks
- Investigators received a tip Monday that the boy's body was put in a dumpster
- They now believe his Duke's corpse may have ended up in Victorville landfill about nine miles away from his Cherokee Avenue home
- Police have charged the boy's mother Jackee Contreras, and her twin sister Jennifer Contreras, both 29, with his murder after arresting them Saturday
The dead body of a six-year-old boy who went missing from his Apple Valley, California home more than two weeks ago may have been hidden dumpster by his mother and her twin sister, local authorities announced Monday.
Investigators spent the day digging through garbage at Victorville landfill, located about nine miles away from the home of the missing Duke Flores, after receiving a tip about where the boy's body had been placed.
'Detectives are now working with personnel at the landfill in hopes of recovering his body. Any updates will be released as they become available,' the department said in a Monday morning tweet.
Duke's mother Jackee Contreras, 29, and her twin sister, Jennifer Contreras, have been charged with murder since their Saturday arrest.
Six-year-old Duke Flores
Investigators received a tip Monday that the boy's body was put in a dumpster They now believe his Duke's corpse may have ended up in Victorville landfill about nine miles away from his Cherokee Avenue home
Police began looking into what happened to Duke on Thursday after his grandmother, Lydia Gutierrez, told them she hadn't seen the boy for 10 days, according to KTLA.
His mother told deputies who did a welfare check at her home that she had not seen Duke for two weeks. The police returned to the home the next day and charged Jackee with child neglect for not report her son had disappeared.
Investigators searched the area with K9 units, but they couldn't find Duke.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's office wouldn't confirm why detectives believe the boy is dead. The boy's father was said to be very ill and unaware of what happened to his son.
On Thursday deputies from the Apple Valley Police Department responded to a residence on Cherokee Avenue following the request for a welfare check from Duke's grandmother. Upon arrival, his mother, Jackee Contreras told deputies that Duke had not been seen for two weeks
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Some of Duke's other family members told reporters at a candlelight vigil on Friday that the boy is autistic and they still believe he's just missing, not dead.
'We're not believe that. That could be just what they're saying,' Duke's great aunt Lydia Gutierrez told KTLA.
The child's godfather, Juan Contreras, said he didn't believe Jackee Contreras would harm her son.
'That's her pride and joy,' Juan Contreras said.
Duke's grandmother, Lydia Gutierrez (pictured), said she hadn't seen Duke in 10 days. 'I just want to find him,' Gutierrez said through tears
Family members have organized their own search teams as they desperately try and find Duke
Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact the Specialized Investigations Division, Detective Narcie Sousa at (909) 387-3589 or Sheriff's dispatch at (909) 387-8313.
