NEW ORLEANS — Police said Wednesday a 12-year-old boy found dead following a 12-day search drowned and also suffered blunt force injuries caused by an alligator.

The body of Bryan Vasquez was discovered Tuesday in a lagoon near his home in New Orleans East. He had been missing since Aug. 14. When the child died wasn't immediately known.

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she has asked the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to remove "nuisance alligators" from the lagoon in the Michoud area of the city. 

At a news conference outside NOPD headquarters, Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the Orleans Parish coroner determined the cause of death during an autopsy.

“We know that these are difficult outcomes and we still have quite a grieving community and a grieving family,” Kirkpatrick said. “This investigation does continue.”

NOPD is looking into a five-hour delay between the time Bryan was reported missing and when the department responded, the superintendent said.

“The 5-hour delay is inordinate,” she said. “There may be facts that explain it, but on its face, it’s inordinate.”

Police say they have seized phones from people close to the child, and said the Department of Children and Family Services and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are involved in the investigation with her agency.

The child was nonverbal and neurodivergent and did not understand English or Spanish, according to his family. 

The city released a statement calling Vasquez “a bright, charismatic, and energetic young boy."

“Bryan’s memory will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved him,” the city said in its statement. “May he rest in God’s eternal peace.”