LAYTON, Utah, May 12 (UPI) -- Authorities in Utah say they have arrested a Layton couple in the death of the wife's 4-year-old son, who had disappeared while on a visit from Virginia.
The body of Ethan Stacy was found Tuesday buried near a trail in the vicinity of the Powder Mountain ski resort, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Layton police say the boy's stepfather, Nathan Sloop, was arrested on suspicion of homicide. Sloop and the boy's mother, Stephanie Sloop, both were arrested on suspicion of child abuse, obstruction of justice and desecration of a corpse, police said.
A cause of death wasn't disclosed.
Layton Police Lt. Garret Atkin said the Sloops married May 1 and Ethan arrived about two weeks ago to spend the summer. His biological father, whose name wasn't released, was notified of his disappearance and death.
Stephanie Sloop called authorities Monday night to report the boy had vanished after she put him to bed about 9 p.m. She told police he had wandered off several times previously but had come back, the newspaper said.
Investigators would not say what caused them to zero in on the Sloops as suspects other than their stories had changed over time.
"They were trying to cover their tracks," Atkin said.
The Tribune said Nathan Sloop has a history of drug convictions and other crimes dating back to 2000, most recently in 2003 for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
