After two young children were charged in connection with the drowning death of an 8-year-old boy in southeast Georgia, lawyers for the family are now demanding additional charges in the case.
Eight-year-old Noah Bush was first reported missing on May 15 in Jesup, Georgia, after he disappeared from home.
Lawyers are calling for charges against adults involved in protecting 10- and 11-year-olds in Noah Bush's death. (Image credit: (GoFundMe/WTOC Screenshot)
After an 11-hour search, authorities found his body the next day in a water-filled “excavation pit.” An excavation pit is a deep hole dug in the ground to provide fill material, such as gravel or soil, for construction projects.
After some investigation, law enforcement concluded that Noah's death was an accident, saying he had taken off his shoes and wandered around the pit in a “no trespassing” zone.
Knowing he was afraid of deep water, Noah's family did not believe the story and hired a private investigator and lawyers to conduct their own investigation, WSB-TV reported. In the days after Noah's body was found, Georgia state investigators began investigating his death and interviewed the children who were with him before his death.
An official autopsy later revealed that Bush died by drowning and that his death was a homicide.
“This finding was based on the fact that one of the two juveniles who were with Noah had pushed him into the deep part of the excavation pit in which they were wading,” the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
Following this revelation, officials filed charges against a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old boy.
The 11-year-old boy who authorities believe pushed Noah into the pit was charged with simple assault, manslaughter, covering up the death of another person and trespassing.
The 10-year-old was charged with covering up the death of another person and trespassing.
Lawyers for Noah's family said Noah knew both boys and the 8-year-old trusted them. “He went away with people he thought were friends and trustworthy,” the lawyers said. The lawyers believe the children may have gotten into an argument and intentionally held Noah's head under water.
They are now demanding further charges against the adult relatives of the juvenile defendants.
“The adults who helped cover up and obstruct the investigation and who, instead of telling the truth, became complicit in this tragedy must be held accountable,” the lawyers said. “The adults involved lied. We will not stop until you are held accountable for your actions.”
It is currently unclear if officials plan to file charges against anyone else, but the investigation is ongoing.
“He was such a smart, loving, kind, shy, yet so outgoing child whose smile and charm could light up the room. Noah loved basketball and football and couldn't wait to get to the pros to dunk on LeBron,” his family wrote.
A GoFundMe campaign set up by Noah's second-grade teacher to benefit his family has exceeded its $10,000 goal.
