Investigators identified the dead body discovered near Swope Park on Thursday as an 18-year-old Kansas City boy whose family had been searching for him for over two weeks.
Oscar Cabral, 18, was found around 10 a.m. off a two-lane road near the heavily wooded trails by Hillcrest and Oldham roads, said Capt. Corey Carlisle, a KCPD spokesman.
The report was made by utility workers who were on the job in the area and saw the teenager, Carlisle said.
Cabral was declared dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel. The death was considered suspicious by detectives, sparking a homicide investigation.
Family of the 18-year-old said he had been missing since leaving home at 5:42 p.m. on March 3, according to a missing persons flier that they released over social media.
The teen’s disappearance was not documented by Kansas City police, though his family allegedly tried to file a report, because Cabral did not meet the department’s criteria for an active missing persons case, according to Capt. Corey Carlisle in an email.
Carlisle was not immediately able to say on Saturday night what part of the department’s missing persons’ policies Cabral failed to meet.
Before his death, Cabral was spotted wearing blue sweatpants and a thick, gray sweatshirt with a zipper at 7:42 p.m. on March 17 near 4124 NE Vivion Road, otherwise known as Penguin Park, said a family member’s message over social media.