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'A member of Washington County': Community to hold memorial service for boy found in woods

Washington County will hold a memorial service Wednesday, June 1 for the boy found in a suitcase at 11 a.m. at Weather's Funeral Home in Salem, Indiana.

NEW PEKIN, Ind — Washington County will hold a memorial service Wednesday, June 1 for the boy found in a suitcase at 11 a.m. at Weather's Funeral Home in Salem, Indiana.

The community previously hosted three different vigils for the boy in April.

They were held in the county at Pekin Park, Salem's Public Square and Hardinsburg Christian Church. All three started at 7 p.m.

Chaplain Todd Murphy with the Washington County Sheriff's Department helped organize the vigils. Murphy said while he wasn't respected in life, the community will make sure he gets that respect in death.

"And we're going to take care of him until the very end no matter what that looks like," said Murphy. "He's now, in a sense, a member of Washington County."

As the boy found dead in the woods remains unidentified, the community in Salem, Indiana is starting to see itself in him.

"This child when he crossed into Washington County, in this terrible way, he became an adopted son of ours," said Rodney Sweeney, a Minister in Washington County.

Credit: Ford Sanders/WHAS11

Locals like Yvonne Casey said they're looking for a name so they can move forward with not only closure but justice.

"I'm not sure if it's a local thing, we don't know yet. We don't have a name. I call him the little angel, our angel of the community right now," said Casey.

Jeffrey Meredith commended the work being done by law enforcement, but needs to know one thing.

"We need to know who this child is. This child deserves a name," said Meredith.

Murphy said now is the time to do all they can for this child.

Indiana State Police is calling on schools, parents and children to come forward if they know someone missing that matches the description of the boy.

ISP Sergeant Cary Huls said as of yesterday there are no new developments in the case.

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