New Orleans (WGNO)-The family of Bryan Vasquez finally received answers on Tuesday, after the United Cajun Marine had established the body of the 12-year-old in a lagoon in New Orleans East.
It was almost two weeks ago that Vasquez, who was non-verbal and had autism, ran away from his house.
“I have never seen anything like that and I hope I would never see anything like that again,” said United Cajun Navy Drone Pilot Jon Gusanders.
Gusanders says that when he found Vasquez's body, it was surrounded by two alligators.
“Every time I would leave Bryan to replace a battery, they would return. They tried to push him and hide him,” said Gusanders.
New Orleans officials hunt alligators after the death of the 12-year-old
For almost an hour, Gusanders and other law enforcement agencies maneuvered drones around the alligators.
By the time a police boat in New Orleans was able to restore Vasquez's body, the Alligators had disappeared.
Gusanders says it was an overwhelming moment.
“His final resting place was peaceful, as I said before. He was in a peaceful position. He was by his side. He was in a bed of Lelies,” said Gusanders.
United Cajun Navy -Volunteer Kaysee Seymour, who also has a child with autism, says that closing the mother of Vasquez was a must.
“We communicated with our promotions, which we showed up every day. We will continue to appear every day and we are not going to give up. And everyone in that community knew. She knew she knew we were not giving up,” Seymour said.
The spokesperson for the Vazquez family, Cristiane Rosales-Fajardo, says that their community is forever grateful to the United Cajun Navy for helping the 12-year-old house.
NOPD believes that the body is missing in New Orleans East Marsh, the 12-year-old misses
“To help us, who never gave us. And that mission has been completed, that we have him, we have parts of him where we can continue and say goodbye,” said Rosales-Fajardo.
Gusanders now calls on wildlife and fishing to remove alligators from the lagoon where he found Vasquez's body.
He wants to ensure that what happened to Vasquez does not happen to another child.
“Although a great first step. We all have to ensure that this is a focus for nature and fisheries. To ensure that there are no gatters who are constantly coming in this water,” Gusanders said.
The United Cajun Navy says they are working with the community to set up signs in both English and Spanish to remind people not to feed the alligators.
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