WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – A week after an Amber Alert was issued for an Orange County teenager, his body was found Friday afternoon in a shallow grave, according to the Winter Garden Police Department.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Bruce Hagans, 16, was reported missing May 31. Witnesses said he was abducted by a man with dreadlocks, driving a dark gray Infiniti G37, the FDLE said.
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According to WKMG in Orlando, the vehicle was later found in Sanford. Police said shots were fired inside the car, and investigators said the boy apparently died of a gunshot wound.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the body was found in the Wedgefield area of east Orange County. Luis Rivera Sr. was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. More arrests were expected.
An Amber Alert for the boy was issued after Winter Garden police responded to a call reporting shots fired and a vehicle fleeing the area. Police didn’t find evidence of a crime at the scene but said they later learned that the teenager had been abducted and possibly shot.
Investigators have not positively identified the person seen driving away with Hagans.
"What happened to him, he didn't deserve," Hagans father, Bruce Hagans Sr., told WKMG.
The teen's father had a message for the people who he said claimed to be his son's friends but ultimately didn't help with the investigation.
"That was totally wrong, the way you treated Bruce," he said. "They're going down."
Family members said Hagans was an energetic teen who loved playing drums in his church's band.
"He was big and tall, but he was just like a child. He had a big heart of a 5-year-old. He was a goofy child," his aunt told WKMG on Monday. "It's been a sad time for us ever since."
Hagan's father said he was provided some closure knowing his son's body was found.
"I know there are a lot of young boys, men, who come up missing and were never found," Bruce Hagans Sr. said.