LA BRYAN VASQUEZ: Missing from New Orleans, LA - 14 Aug 2025 - Age 12 *Found Deceased* (1 Viewer)

Have you seen this child? Non-verbal boy missing from New Orleans home, police say

Bryan Vasquez, 12, was last seen wearing an adult diaper when he walked away from his home on Beaucaire Street.

www.nola.com

Have you seen this child? Non-verbal boy missing from New Orleans home, police say​

A 12-year-old boy with a neurodevelopmental disorder has been missing from his home on Beaucaire Street since Thursday morning, and New Orleans and state police are asking for the public's help to find him.

Bryan Vasquez was reported missing at 10 a.m. Thursday and Louisiana State Police received a request to issue a level II endangered child/missing child advisory early Friday morning just before 1:40 a.m.

During a Friday press conference in the New Orleans East neighborhood of Village de l'Est, officials from several law enforcement agencies said Vasquez was last seen at around 6:33 a.m. Thursday. He was nude, walking around the neighborhood, and appeared to be in distress.

Vasquez is non-verbal and autistic, and does not understand English or Spanish. He also takes medication, officers said.

“He’s probably hungry and needs medical attention,” NOPD Major Lejon Roberts said.

On Friday, New Orleans police asked residents in the area between Chef Menteur Highway, Dwyer Road, Michoud Boulevard and Interstate 510 to check their backyards and under any raised homes or buildings in case Vasquez is located out of sight. Officers also asked residents to check any surveillance cameras they have on their houses.

“He could be scared. He could be hiding,” Roberts said.

The area also has several low-lying canals, officers said. Boats were on the scene because the bodies of water have marshes.

Vasquez is Hispanic with brown eyes and black hair, state police said. He is 5 feet, 1 inches tall and weighs between 86-100 pounds. He was last seen wearing an adult diaper and is believed to have been walking in an unknown direction.


Media - BRYAN VASQUEZ: Missing from New Orleans, LA - 14 Aug 2025 - Age 12

 

[Mel70]

This poor child.

WARNING: GRAPHIC: Cause of death revealed for missing 12-year-old nonverbal boy

WARNING: Details in this story may be considered graphic to some. Viewer discretion is advised.

www.wdsu.com

New Orleans nonverbal boy's cause of death was trauma from alligators, coroner reports​

WARNING: Details in this story may be considered graphic to some. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office has revealed the cause of death for a nonverbal 12-year-old found dead in a lagoon Tuesday morning.

According to Coroner Dwight McKenna, Bryan Vasquez's cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma from alligators and drowning.

NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she has asked the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to eradicate nuisance alligators in the lagoon where Vasquez died.

Alligator hunters are expected to respond to the lagoon.

That's awful.

 

[RoundPeg]

Ugh! Makes me wonder if this incident caused his “brain condition”.

Court records expose past abuse by mother of nonverbal boy

Hilda Vasquez was convicted of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile more than a decade ago.

www.wdsu.com

In November 2013, a 3-month-old boy was rushed to the hospital after an incident in which he began vomiting blood and stopped breathing, according to court records. The infant was diagnosed with a pneumothorax (collapsed lung), retinal hemorrhages, fractured ankles, fractured legs, and a fractured skull. Further evaluation revealed a punctured lung. Doctors concluded the injuries were consistent with child abuse.

This is disgusting! It's just like Emmanuel.

 

[GrandmaBear]

You know i normally think it's family but in this case there was video of him alone outside, no one digging found this about the mom that I'd ever heard, he was 12 and I thought maybe we have one where the parent was not involved. And this doesn't mean she was involved in the disappearance but that is SERIOUS child abuse.

This is all just awful. And when have we ever had alligators involved in this way. I know enough about them without reading the graphic articles to be reminded of that or more.

Well, she is not free and clear in my book.

RIP child, what an unfair life you had.

 

[Guess Who]

Mother now arrested! (should have happened numerous times prior and this poor child would probably still be alive) Quite a bit of detail in how negligent she was.

Mother of 12-year-old boy asks for more time to find attorney after arrest

According to NOPD arrest records, Hilda Vasquez, mother of Bryan Vasquez, is facing charges of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and negligent homicide.

www.wdsu.com

 

[RoundPeg]

Looks like negligent homicide carries up to 5 years in prison. His life was worth more than that.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Not nearly long enough.

 

[ima.grandma]

Louisiana police arrested a woman on Sunday, weeks after her 12-year-old son left home and was fatally mauled by alligators.

Hilda Vasquez, 34, allegedly gave police conflicting accounts of what happened when Bryan Vasquez vanished on August 14, though she stated that she woke up in the middle of the night and saw him in the kitchen. She claimed she sent him back to bed in his sister’s room hours before she prepared her younger son for school, according to KPLC.

Hilda Vasquez reportedly took the younger son to school without checking on the 12-year-old — who is nonverbal and autistic. It was not until around 10 a.m. that she called for her daughter, who told her he was missing, KPLC reported.

Brian Vasquez is believed to have left home through a bedroom window, only wearing an adult diaper. According to NOLA.com, surveillance footage showed him walking around the neighborhood that morning.

He was last filmed near a home not far from the lagoon, where his body was discovered weeks later on August 26. He was reported missing about five hours after he was last seen on camera.

The Orleans Parish Coroner concluded that Bryan Vasquez sustained blunt-force injuries from the alligator mauling before he drowned. Coroners could not pinpoint when he died.

The family had recently moved to the residence, and Hilda Vasquez had not yet installed security measures that previously prevented her son’s elopement. Hilda Vasquez has three other children, including an infant.

Hilda Vasquez allegedly mentioned two instances in which her son vanished days before his final disappearance. She stated that on August 1, police found her son naked and drinking from a drainage ditch. Three days later, the mother was sleeping when a neighbor knocked on the door and informed her that they had found her son, according to KPLC.

New Orleans police Deputy Nicholas Gernon said they believe Hilda Vasquez regularly abused and neglected her disabled son before his death. Reports indicated that she pleaded guilty to simple cruelty to juveniles by negligent treatment or neglect after she faced more serious charges in 2014.

The charges pertained to Bryan Vasquez, who was an infant at the time.

“When he was three months old, she committed a skull fracture, broken legs, and a collapsed lung. At that point he was removed from the home, and at some point subsequent to that, DCFS returned him back to the home,” Gernon said, according to WWL.

Concerning her son’s death, Hilda Vasquez was charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide. The case is now being handled by New Orleans police’s Homicide Division

UPDATE: Mom Charged With Homicide After Autistic Son Found Killed by Alligators

Louisiana police arrested a woman on Sunday, weeks after her 12-year-old son left home and was fatally mauled by alligators. Hilda Vasquez, 34, allegedly gave police conflicting accounts of what happened when Bryan Vasquez vanished on August 14, though she stated that she woke up in the middle...

www.crimeonline.com

 

[ima.grandma]

The mother of a 12-year-old boy who was killed in an alligator attack near his home in New Orleans last month has been charged with negligent homicide in connection with his death, police said.

Bryan Vasquez was reported missing on Aug. 14. His body was found in a lagoon near his home nearly two weeks later, authorities said. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office determined his cause of death was blunt trauma consistent with an alligator attack and drowning.

His mother, Hilda Vasquez, was taken into custody on Sunday and has been charged with negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to juveniles, police said.

Police alleged there had been a "pattern" of negligence by the mother and that Bryan had previously been a victim of "trauma."

"There has been a pattern of both negligence and abuse over Bryan's 12 years," Deputy Superintendent Nicholas Gernon said during a press briefing on Sunday. "We believe that we can prove that that pattern of negligence and abuse led to … undue pain and suffering on his part."

Vasquez was previously convicted of abusing Bryan when he was 3 months old, causing a skull fracture, broken legs and a collapsed lung, according to Gernon. The infant was removed from the home, then the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services at some point returned him, he said.

"Our detectives will continue to pursue every fact and every aspect and to any investigative leads," Assistant Superintendent Hans Ganthier said during the briefing. "Out of respect for the ongoing process, a lot of the details cannot be released."

The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office will review the case and make any charging decision, Gernon said.

"This was an emotional and really traumatic case, not just for the community, the family, but also our own officers," Ganthier said. "We wish the outcome would have been different, but it's not the case, so we have to pursue and seek justice for Bryan."

The area where the body of a 12-year-old boy killed in an alligator attack was found, in New Orleans.

Vasquez is in custody at the Orleans Parish jail. It is unclear if she has an attorney at this time.

Bryan, who was nonverbal and had a neurodevelopmental condition, was last seen the morning of Aug. 14 on a street in New Orleans wearing an adult diaper, police said. Members of the United Cajun Navy located his body in a lagoon near his home on Aug. 26 with the help of thermal drone technology. The coroner was unable to confirm the timing of the child's death, police said.

Following the discovery of his body, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters there had been "history" with the family that preceded his death and former allegations involving the family but did not go into detail at the time, saying it was a "matter of court record."

Police had seized phones from the victim's family, according to Kirkpatrick, who said it was not an unusual step to take "in order to look at everything."

Police have launched an internal investigation into a five-hour delay in their initial response to the 911 call reporting him missing, Kirkpatrick said.

"There could be reasons to explain a five-hour delay, but on its face it's inordinate," she said at a press briefing on Aug. 27.

The police department also requested wildlife officials to eradicate alligators in the body of water where Bryan was found

Mother charged with negligent homicide after child killed in alligator attack: Police

Hilda Vasquez was taken into custody on Sunday and has been charged with negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to juveniles, police said.

abcnews.go.com

 

[ima.grandma]

A group of hunters found human remains inside the belly of an alligator they captured Tuesday near a lagoon where a nonverbal autistic boy was attacked and killed by one of the scaly predators.

Bryan Vazquez, 12, was missing for nearly a month before authorities recovered his battered corpse from a lagoon near his family’s home in New Orleans.

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Bryan Vasquez, 12, was found dead after being attacked by an alligator near his New Orleans home. New Orleans Police Department
Following the grisly discovery, authorities dispatched hunters to eliminate the “nuisance alligators” and, hopefully, track down the predator responsible for Bryan’s death.

One group just across Lake Pontchartrain in Lacombe, La. might’ve nabbed the right bounty on Tuesday.

The hunters found what appeared to be the upper remains of a person inside a gutted gator they captured. The find was quickly turned over to The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office, which will conduct DNA testing to determine if the remains are a positive match with Bryan, WWLTV reported.

4
Bryan was autistic and nonverbal. WDSU

Explore More​

On Aug. 14, the child’s mother Hilda Vasquez left him home in the care of his 11-year-old sister. Around 5 a.m., Bryan slipped out an unsecured window and wandered away from home — something authorities said he’d done at least twice before.

He was last seen on surveillance footage that morning near the front stoop wearing nothing but an adult diaper.

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Bryan was last seen on surveillance footage wearing nothing but an adult diaper after he escaped his home through an unsecured window. WDSU News
When Bryan was just 3 months old, Vasquez beat him so badly that suffered a skull fracture, broken legs, a collapsed lung and a traumatic brain injury that authorities said contributed to his autism and muteness.

She was convicted of the abuse in 2013 and Bryan was removed from he care.

However, at some point, the boy was returned to Vasquez’s custody by the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, though it’s unclear when, police said.

4
His mangled body wasn’t found until weeks later on Aug 26.

Vasquez was arrested on Sunday and charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide for her son’s horrific end.

The mom could face up to 20 years behind bars. She is set to appear for a bond hearing next week

Louisiana hunters find human remains inside alligator captured where missing autistic boy’s body was dredged from lagoon

The hunters found what appeared to be the upper remains of a person inside a gutted gator they captured.

nypost.com

 

[Belle]

Human remains found inside alligator trapped from New Orleans lagoon where Bryan Vasquez was attacked

The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office will conduct DNA testing to determine if they belong to 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez.

www.wltx.com

Human remains were found in an alligator believed to be the animal that attacked and killed 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez.
The New Orleans Police Department says the remains were discovered inside the alligator, which was trapped in the lagoon on Sevres Street, where Vasquez's body was found after a week-long search.

The alligator was transported to a facility in Lacombe for dissection and to remove the human remains.
They turned the remains over to the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office for identification.

 

[ima.grandma]

PThe New Orleans Police Department has arrested Hilda Vasquez, the mother of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez, in connection with his death. Detectives confirmed she was taken into custody Sunday evening and charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide.

According to WWL-TV, NOPD Deputy Superintendent Nicholas Gernon said investigators believe Bryan’s death followed “a pattern of both negligence and abuse over his 12 years,” adding that police intend to prove this history caused undue suffering and injury.

Troubled Past and Child Welfare Concerns​

Officials revealed Bryan had previously been removed from his mother’s care as an infant after suffering severe injuries, including a skull fracture, broken legs, and a collapsed lung. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services later returned him to the home.

“When he was three months old, she committed a skull fracture, broken legs, and a collapsed lung,” Gernon said. “At that point, he was removed from the home, and at some point subsequent to that, DCFS returned him.”

Cause of Death and Ongoing Investigation​

Bryan was reported missing earlier this month, sparking a large-scale search effort. His body was discovered on August 26 in a lagoon in New Orleans East. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office determined he died from drowning with blunt trauma consistent with an alligator attack.

The case has since been reassigned to NOPD’s Homicide Division, where detectives continue to investigate all aspects surrounding his death.

Community and Next Steps​

Officials expressed condolences to Bryan’s family and community, calling the case “an incredibly difficult tragedy.” Hilda Vasquez is currently being held at Orleans Parish Jail Central Lockup.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111.

Mother Arrested After Death of 12-Year-Old Bryan Vasquez

The mother of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez has been arrested after the boy’s body was found following an alligator attack.

1079ishot.com

 

[Belle]

Mother of Bryan Vasquez held without bond; newborn tested positive for cocaine at July birth

Hilda Vasquez, mother of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez, was ordered held without bond after prosecutors said she and her newborn tested positive for cocaine in July.

www.fox8live.com

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office said in court Monday (Sept. 15) that the mother of Bryan Vasquez and his newborn sibling each tested positive for cocaine in July.

Magistrate Commissioner Jonathan Friedman ordered Hilda Vasquez held without bond Monday, exactly one week after Friedman also ordered she stay away from her three living children.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Louisiana bill would create targeted alert for missing children with disabilities

"Bryan's Call" would send localized alerts when a child with a cognitive or developmental disability goes missing, filling a gap advocates say has cost lives.

www.wwltv.com

Louisiana bill would create targeted alert for missing children with disabilities​

A Louisiana Senate bill advancing through the legislature would establish a statewide alert system specifically for missing children and adults with cognitive or developmental disabilities, filling a gap that advocates say has left vulnerable people without adequate protection.

Senate Bill 34, authored by Sen. Patrick McMath, would codify "Bryan's Call.” It would send emergency alerts to residents within a parish when a child with a disability goes missing. The bill also expands Silver Alert protections for adults 18 and older with conditions including autism spectrum disorder, traumatic brain injury, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

The legislation is named after Bryan Vazquez, who disappeared from his home in the Michoud neighborhood last summer. Bryan, who was non-verbal, was missing for days before his body was found in a lagoon. He had been killed by an alligator.

Heather Matthews, executive director of The Arc of Greater New Orleans, said the bill is an Arc of Louisiana initiative and that existing alert systems were not designed with children who have disabilities in mind.

"Right now, they're not using the general Amber Alert for this at all," Matthews said. "It's a desperate situation when a parent can't find their child. But then knowing that child might not have a mechanism to communicate, not understand how to get help or how to return home — it just adds another level of fear and desperation."

Matthews said she hopes the legislature passes the bill within days.

"People are going to be saved and protected as a result," she said.