Body found in pond officially identified as David Puckett

 David Puckett, 6. Photo from Aurora Police Department.
David Puckett, 6. Photo from Aurora Police Department. (KKTV)
Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 12:39 PM MST
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UPDATE

The body discovered Tuesday in a pond has been positively identified as David Puckett, the six-year-old boy that's been missing in Aurora since New Year's Eve.

Police say no traumatic injuries were identified during the autopsy. The exact cause of death remains under investigation by the Coroner.

The body of Puckett was found in a pond at Olympic Park, which is about 0.2 miles from Puckett's house.

"I have the very unfortunate news of letting you know that in a pond just behind me, just about two or three hundred yards away, that we found the body of what appears to be a child inside the pond underneath the ice," said Chief of Police Nick Metz with the Aurora Police Department.

Police say they are treating the area as a crime scene until that is ruled out.

Law enforcement previously walked around the pond, but did not search in the water since they did not find any breakage in the ice.

The Aurora Police Department says fake donation sites have been created trying to take advantage of Puckett's death.

Aurora Police state there is only one authorized donation method for the Puckett family:

The David Puckett Memorial Fund Space Age Federal Credit Union Account Number 84527 3005 South Parker Road #C-300 Aurora, CO 80014

The above fund is the only authorized donation method for the family. There are no social media sites set up.

The investigation is now ongoing.

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PREVIOUS

An AMBER Alert was issued for David Puckett Monday around 2:30 p.m.

At 7 p.m. Monday, Aurora Police increased the reward they're offering for David's safe return to $10,000. The Metro Crime Stoppers Denver (MCSD) have previously offered a $2,000 reward, with an additional $3,000 special reward. The Aurora Police Reward Fund has contributed $5,000 bringing the total reward fund up to $10,000. You can call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP or text MCSD at 274637 and remain anonymous.

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ORIGINAL STORY

The Aurora Police department says they are searching for an at-risk six-year-old boy named David Puckett.

Puckett was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the 15700 block of East Amherst Place in Aurora.

He is 4 feet tall, weighing 48 pounds and has light brown hair with brown eyes. He was last seen wearing camouflage pants, a black shirt with a tan coat and black and orange boots.

Police are vigilantly searching for the boy, along with law enforcement partners, search team organizations, helicopters and search dogs.

Police say Puckett has a history of wandering. They are asking residents to check their property. They are warning that children often hide in small spaces and do not always come out when called.

Multiple tip lines have been set up for the public. You can call any of the three numbers below with information on Puckett's location:

303-739-1870 303-739-1865 303-739-1868
NAME OF PIC GOES HERE
Photo from Aurora Police

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation sent out the following statement at about 5:00 p.m. Monday:

Although the circumstances surrounding this incident have not changed, out of an abundance of caution, the Colorado AMBER Alert system has been activated for 6-Year-old David Puckett. The activation of the AMBER Alert system is one tool to aid in the dissemination of information that has already been released surrounding David’s disappearance. Since David was reported missing on Saturday, the Aurora Police Department (APD) has been exceptional in relaying information about David via social media and through our partners in the media. CBI and APD investigators, agents and analysts have been communicating daily to discuss the circumstances surrounding this incident. The CBI will continue to coordinate with the APD and offer any additional resources they might need.