The teenager left home on Saturday morning with some friends and never came back.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 23, 2022. It has since been updated.
A teenager was found dead in a park behind Georgia townhouses under suspicious circumstances. Thirteen-year-old Jamiren Crosby was missing since the weekend, and his family and friends have been looking for him in Lithonia, Georgia, ever since, per PEOPLE. Brittanie Malone, a family member told WSB-TV, "[There were] about 25 of us looking at the park, different parks, the high school."
BREAKING: The death of 13-year-old Jamiren Crosby has been officially ruled a homicide. Crosby's body was found in Lithonia, September 19th at 2656 Parkway Trail. If you have any information, please contact the DeKalb County Police Department Homicide Unit at 770-724-7850.@CBS46 pic.twitter.com/8LYvMlzyb6
— shon gables (@shongables) September 21, 2022
On Monday, Virginia Montgomery was taking her child home from school when she noticed a blue tarp and what seemed to be a body. Police responded to the site at about 4:30 p.m. The area was quickly taped off, with detectives and, finally, the medical examiner stepping in and out of the scrub line behind the townhouses. Jamiren's family also arrived at the scene and his body was identified. Montogomery told the outlet, "I saw it. I said, ‘Wait a minute. That looks like somebody laying there.' Whoever did this, y’all wrong." She added, "I’ve never seen anybody laying in the woods like that."
MOTHER’S GRIEF: Chanell Crosby mourns death of her son Jamiren after the 13 yr old’s body was found in Lithonia Park. Jamiren vanished early Sat morning. @DeKalbCountyPD say cause of death is under investigation. @GoodDayAtlanta @FOX5Atlanta https://t.co/KTx8drmqPN pic.twitter.com/xj6QVqJXJ9
— Marc Teichner (@mteichnerfox5) September 20, 2022
After receiving a tip, the family distributed fliers and combed the area on Sunday night. They have many unanswered questions, like why Jamiren was there, barely 10 minutes from his house. Jamiren's mother, Chanell Crosby, told Fox 5 Atlanta that he had been missing since Saturday morning. She said, "He was my helper, he'd help me with my little daughter and my youngest son. He was a real person. All he wanted was real around him—real love--wanted to be loved by his family."
Crosby claimed that her son was an "A" student in the eighth grade at DeKalb Alternative School. He'd recently joined ATL Elite Football. He allegedly left the house with several friends at about 2 a.m. Saturday and never came back.
Malone said, "He didn’t deserve that, what happened to him. He didn’t. He’s a sweet child."
Previously, the police did not reveal if they considered this a case of homicide, and Jamiren's family members complained that the authorities were wasting time by not calling it a murder. In an update, DeKalb Police clarified that they are now considering the teenager's death a homicide, and an investigation is underway, per WSB-TV. Family members informed Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes that they were told that Jamiren was murdered and dumped at Lithonia Park before his corpse was discovered.
Sunni Broughton, another family member, said, "We went out looking for him. Me and his auntie right here, we were out searching for like six hours. Somebody called us and said Jamerin was dead and told us where he was, so we was on the other side of the park."
DeKalb police have not identified a cause of death or any probable suspects in the case. Family and relatives are pleading with the police to uncover who they think is Crosby's murderer.
References:
https://people.com/crime/jamiren-crosby-georgia-boy-found-dead/?
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/boys-body-found-in-wooded-area-behind-homes-in-lithonia-police-say
Cover Image Source: 11 Alive/Youtube
