Elijah Lewis remains found in Massachusetts: authorities discover 5-year-old's body 'buried in the ground'

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Massachusetts and New Hampshire authorities on Saturday recovered 5-year-old Elijah Lewis' remains in Abington, Mass., according to Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruiz.

Authorities spent hours searching for the missing New Hampshire boy between Friday evening and Saturday morning after learning new information regarding his disappearance.

"This morning, state police, a cadaver dog and special emergency response team members located what is presumed to be Elijah's body buried in the ground," Cruiz said during a press conference. "I'm not going to get into the specifics of the crime scene or the manner in which this boy's body was found at this time."

Cruiz added that authorities found Lewis' remains in a "wooded area off of Chesnut Street."

Elijah Lewis, of Merrimack, was last seen by "independent individuals approximately six months ago," the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said.  (New Hampshire Attorney General Office)

The investigation into Lewis' death is active and ongoing. 

The New Hampshire Division for Youth, Children and Families (DYCF) notified authorities of Elijah Lewis' unknown whereabouts on Oct. 14, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella's office, which said in an Oct. 14 press release that Lewis was last seen six months ago.

NEW HAMPSHIRE BOY, 5, LAST SEEN 6 MONTHS AGO, NEVER REPORTED MISSING; MOTHER, MAN ARRESTED IN NYC

Officers with the New York City Transit Authority located and arrested Lewis' mother, Danielle Denise Dauphinais, 35, and Joseph Stapf, 30, on witness tampering and child endangerment charges in New York City on Oct. 14, the Formella's office said in a news release on Monday. There was no sign of the boy at the time of their arrest.

The pair allegedly told people they knew to lie about Lewis and where he was living, knowing that child protection services were searching for the boy.

Authorities are looking to speak with the boy’s mother, 35-year-old Danielle Denise Dauphinais, and a man she is believed to be with, 30-year-old Joseph Stapf. (New Hampshire Attorney General Office)

The Merrimack Police Department immediately began an investigation into Lewis' whereabouts on Oct. 14 "and was assisted later that day by the New Hampshire State Police and the New Hampshire Department of Justice," the attorney general's office said.

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"Elijah was never reported missing to authorities prior to this time," Formella's office said.

 In an Oct. 14 press release, the attorney general's office said Lewis "was last seen by independent individuals approximately six months ago."

Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to contact the Merrimack Police Department's Crimeline at (603) 424-2424 or the New Hampshire State Police Communications at (603) 223-4381 or (603) 628-8477.