Body of missing boy found in hole

CARLSBAD, N.M., March 4 (UPI) -- The body of a 4-year-old Carlsbad, N.M., boy was discovered in a 30-foot hole Sunday, the day after he disappeared from a neighboring yard, police said.

Rescue workers found the body of Samuel Jones when they lowered monitoring equipment into the hole. Fire Department officials said the process of recovering the boy's body would be long and difficult, as the hole was only 14 inches in diameter.

Jones' death will be treated as a homicide, said Police Chief Danny Fierro, unless facts prove otherwise.

Jones disappeared from his own back yard Saturday afternoon. His family searched for an hour before notifying the police, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.