HAMPTON, Va. -- Human remains believed to be that of two-year-old Noah Tomlin were located in Hampton, police confirmed Wednesday. His body was found at the city steam plant, WTKR reported.
A regional search for Tomlin launched last week when his parents reported he had disappeared from his bed in the middle of the night.
Noah's mother, Julia Tomlin, was arrested days later on suspicion of felony child neglect, Hampton police said.
Tomlin initially said her son was last seen when he was put to bed around 1 a.m. Monday, June 24 at their home in Hampton, according to Hampton Police Chief Terry Sult. She reported him missing that day at 11:36 a.m.
Initially, police said that no explanation of his disappearance was ruled out, including the chance he walked away. The parents, police said, were cooperating with the police.
The mood change after Julia Tomlin's arrest.
"There are so many people that are hurt by this," Sult said Friday. "There are so many people out there in the community who would be willing to take care of a child to make sure this doesn't happen."
The investigation, search, and eventual discovery of Tomlin's body has taken an emotional toll on the department, Sult said.
"This affects people. This affects our officers," Sult said. "You're going through literally millions of pounds of garbage, it takes a toll. We have officers with his picture of the dash of their cars."
Hampton Police conducted a six-phase search process that involved land, sea and air searches. The Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue and numerous local, state and federal partners assisted the department in their efforts.
Four independent searches were conducted in the area of Noah's home and the Buckroe Beach area of Hampton. Two additional searches focused on the city landfill and the Hampton NASA steam plant.
This is a developing story.
