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State Police Treating Boy's Death As Homicide

Boy's father questioned by police and released

GREENE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 4: The boy's father, John Smitsky (in the black t-shirt), was questioned by police and has now been released.
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Click to enlarge 2 of 4: Wyatt Smitsky, 4, was last seen playing outside his family's home in the 600 block of Georgetown Road in Greene Township.
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Click to enlarge 3 of 4: The search for 4-year-old Wyatt Smitsky came to an end Saturday morning when officials say his body was located in a septic tank.
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Click to enlarge 4 of 4: NewsChopper 2 flies over the scene in Beaver County where a missing boy was found dead after an extensive search.
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A missing 4-year-old boy in Beaver County was found dead after an extensive search by police and family members Saturday.

Wyatt Smitsky, 4, was last seen playing outside his family's home in the 600-block of Georgetown Road in Georgetown, Greene Township at about 6:30 p.m. Friday.

According to police, the boy had a congenital heart defect and was on medication.

Sources told KDKA-TV's Ross Guidotti that rescue workers found Smitsky's body around 12:45 p.m. in a neighbor's septic tank. The tank had apparently been tampered with in some way.

"We located a body of a white male, young child," said State Police Trooper Rob Lagoon. "It was in the septic system, septic tank, of a neighboring property."

State police say they are treating the case as a homicide.

Investigators told Guidotti that there were suspicions that this was not just a lost child case from nearly the beginning of the search.

"We're treating this, right now, as a homicide situation," added Lagoon.

The boy's father, John T. Smitsky, 29, was taken into custody after the body was found. Officials say he was questioned by police and has now been released.

According to sources close to the investigation, the boy's father was described as 'aloof' and 'disinterested' during initial questioning.

The Beaver County Coroner says the case is under investigation and an autopsy is planned for sometime Sunday.

Police ask anyone with information to call 724-773-7400.

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State Police Treating Boy's Death As Homicide

Boy's father questioned by police and released

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