Police have made a grim discovery in the search for a five-year-old who has been missing for almost a month.
Reo Tanaka was last seen by his parents around 3.30pm on June 21, when the family visited a hot spring facility in the south of Japan.
At the time, he was in a private family bath with his parents and two-year-old brother.
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His parents entered a changing room about 3.30pm, taking their eyes off him for a moment, and when they returned, the boy had disappeared without a trace.
Staff at the hot springs contacted police on behalf of the distraught family.
Japan Today reported that police believe the child may have climbed out of the window and fallen into the river.
It is understood there is no fence between the building and the river.
Since then, about 100 police officers and firefighters have been searching for the five-year-old, Nippon TV reported.
However, searches have been paused at time due to heavy rain which caused the river’s water levels to rise.
On the morning of July 17, firefighters found the body of a child, believed to be the missing boy, in the Amori River, less than one kilometre from Kareigawa no Yu resort, from which he went missing.
Reo’s mother previously told the outlet she hoped her son was found as soon as possible and that he was brought home “no matter what condition” he was in.
Investigators are now working to identify the body.
The resort is located in city of Kirishima in the Kagoshima Prefecture, a city known for its hot springs.
