Louisville Metro Police have ruled a child’s death as a homicide after he was found unresponsive at Cherokee Park Tuesday afternoon.
During a news conference Wednesday morning, LMPD identified the child but did not release his name. Police said the boy was 12-years-old and lived in Southern Indiana.
The coroner later released the child’s name – Ray Etheridge – but did not release the cause of death.
Greater Clark County Schools superintendent Dr. Andrew Melin said Etheridge was a 7th grader at Clark County Middle/High School and was well regarded by staff and students.
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Melin said Etheridge was in school Tuesday, but was signed out by his mother due to “transportation issues.”
“Kids like him, he was fun to be around, just had a good personality about him,” Dr. Andrew Melin, superintendent of Greater Clark County Schools, said. “As you can imagine, the staff and the students there are taking this pretty hard. Our thoughts and prayers obviously are with Ray’s family.”
Passersby discovered Etheridge near the Scenic Loop around 4 p.m. and called 911.
“We do know that he sustained some type of injuries, but specifically what those injuries were from and how they occurred is still under investigation at this point. So because of that our homicide unit is treating this as a death investigation,” LMPD public information officer Alicia Smiley said.
The boy was transported to Kosair Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police did not discover the identity of the boy until they said his mother and stepfather filed a report Tuesday night around 10 p.m.
Despite living in Indiana, the mother told police the family frequented the area near Cherokee Park and Mid City Mall where Etheridge was last seen. Police said the 12-year-old is 5’4, 118 lbs., tan skin with blonde/brown hair. He was wearing a gray fleece and Jordan tennis shoes.
Investigators said they do not believe family members are involved in the death and they are going in a certain direction with the investigation. However, they did not release any suspect details in an effort to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
Police are asking anyone who believes they saw Etheridge in the the area to call the anonymous tip line at 502-574-LMPD.
