QUAIL CREEK, Texas – Child Protective Services had twice previously been called out to the home of a four-year-old boy found dead Monday.
Kylar Johnson was playing in his front yard in the 1100 block of Old Goliad Road near Village Lane in Quail Creek, Texas, when he was last seen at 8 p.m. Sunday. His father said he was cleaning his car and when he looked up, his son was gone.
Deputies and volunteers immediately began searching for Kylar.
Detectives said Kylar's body was found at about 10:30 a.m. Monday. Homeowner Manny Garcia found Kylar's body in his back yard near one of 10 Pit bulls that were chained in the yard, investigators said.
Garcia's yard was searched at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, but nothing was found.
Garcia's dogs were not raised for fighting, but they were used for wild hog hunting, officials said. The dog that was near Kylar's body was seized, investigators said.
Kylar's home was about a half-mile from where his body was found, investigators said. Detectives said they are not certain how he got there.
CPS told Local 2 they twice visited the family's home, once for accusations of abuse and another for lack of supervision. However, CPS said they didn't find anything during either investigation.
Family friend Ken Hutchins and his wife canceled their vacation to help search for Kylar. Hutching said Kylar used to call him "Paw Paw."
"He's just a glory, a gift from God," Hutchins said. "All babies are like that."
People who had never met Kylar and his family helped in the search, too.
"I'm going to go home and I'm going to hug and kiss each one of my kids," volunteer Teri Ellis said.
Relatives thanked law enforcement, volunteers and the media for helping in the search for Kylar, and they asked for time to grieve.
"Family members shared their deep love for Kylar," uncle John Skoruppa said. "Even though he was only four-years-old, he was the heartbeat of the family."
The cause of Kylar's death is under investigation.