Police Initially Said No Foul Play in 8-Year-Old's Death. Weeks Later, Police Reveal How He Was Killed

Authorities in Georgia are investigating the homicide of a 8-year-old boy weeks after saying the boy's death seemed accidental.

Law enforcement officials say they found the body of Noah Bush, 8, in a borrow pit in Jesup, Ga., on May 16, according to WSAV 3, WTOC and First Coast News.

Police initially said there was no evidence of foul play in Noah’s death, WJCL, WTOC and First Coast News and However, weeks later, their assessment has changed.

A medical examiner's office revealed that the manner of Noah's death was homicide and the cause of his death was drowning, per WJCL, WTOC and First Coast News,

Wayne County officials have now charged two children, ages 10 and 11, in connection with Noah’s death, First Coast News, WJCL and ABC Chicago reported, citing the local sheriff’s office.

Authorities also arrested Natalie Hardison, 35, the mother of one of the two arrested children, on three charges, per WSAV and WJCL.

Online court sheriff’s county records show Hardison was arrested on Wednesday, July 10, on charges of providing false statements, probation violation and mandatory education for children between ages 6 and 16, a statute that holds parents responsible for mandatory education for children in that age range.

Noah was reported missing on May 15, after he was last seen in Jesup a few hours prior, per Wayne County authorities, WJCL reported at the time. His body was found the next morning.

Even though police initially claimed there was nothing suspicious about his death, and that he had drowned accidentally, Noah’s family maintained from the very beginning that there was foul play, WJCL.

"I want answe -

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rs," his mother, Demetrice Bush, said at the time, per the outlet. "I want to know what happened to him. I want to know who hurt him."

His sister Alayzia McClinton said, "My brother apparently jumped into a creek and drowned, but my brother did not like water."

The allegation that foul play was involved came after Wayne County officials invited the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into Noah’s death.

"This finding was based on the fact that one of the two juveniles whom were with Noah pushed him into the deep portion of the borrow pit they were wading in," the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

Bush's family attorney spoke to ABC Chicago and alleged, "Noah and the two juveniles involved in this got into some argument, and an argument led to them pushing Noah into the water and possibly holding his head underwater."

“Noah walked away with people he believed were his friends and trustworthy,” Johnson said, according to WTOC. 

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In Georgia, juvenile charges are not public record, WTOC reported.

Johnson said both young boys are facing charges of criminal trespassing and concealment of a death, per authorities, First Coast News reported. The 11-year-old faces additional charges, including involuntary manslaughter.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Hardison and the children have entered pleas or retained attorneys.

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