MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — A 6-year-old child who was reported missing is now believed to have been killed and put into the Ohio River, police said.

What You Need To Know

  • James Robert Hutchinson was reported missing by his mother Sunday morning

  • Investigators questioned the the child’s mother, 29-year-old Brittany Gosney, and her boyfriend, 42-year-old James Hamilton

  • Middletown Police Chief David Birk said the couple told police the boy was killed a few days earlier in Preble County, then brought back to Middletown and put into the river

James Robert Hutchinson was reported missing by his mother Sunday morning, and many people came out to search for him, Middletown Police Chief David Birk said in a news release.

Investigators questioned the child’s mother, 29-year-old Brittany Gosney, and her boyfriend, 42-year-old James Hamilton. Birk said the couple told police the boy was killed a few days earlier in Preble County, then brought back to Middletown and put into the river.

Birk said police would be working with trained searchers to find the child’s body.

“The river is very high and treacherous, so we will not be disclosing the exact location in hopes of avoiding another tragic incident,” Birk said in the release.

Gosney was charged with murder, and both Gosney and Hamilton were charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, police said.

It was unclear whether they had an attorney who could comment on their behalf.

Birk also said two other children have been removed from the couple’s home.