LINN COUNTY, Kan. — A Kansas man is behind bars after a 13-year-old boy who lived nearby was reported missing and later found dead, with investigators saying the man played a role in disposing of the teen’s body.
Airen Andula was reported missing Sunday evening and was found dead the following day.
According to his mother, the teen was mauled by dogs. His body was discovered in Bates County, Missouri, after the suspect led investigators to the location.
The man now charged in the case, Damon Leonard, lives in Linn County, Kansas.
Several sources said investigators found nearly a dozen dogs at Leonard’s home when they arrived on Monday.
Authorities say Leonard lives within walking distance of Airen’s home.
“This is beyond devastating – I have no words for it. He was such a sweet boy… Airen was never in trouble, he didn’t go far from home, he never left and not told us where he was going, so we knew there was something not right,” said Anita Gunn, Airen Andula’s mother.
Gunn says she is struggling to understand how someone she trusted is now at the center of the investigation into her son’s death.
“These people portrayed to this community that they were good people – they went around helping people, like food if they were in need, they gave them food. They took my kids to the swimming pool all summer long,” Gunn said.
FOX4 was at Leonard’s home as homicide detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department — the agency leading the investigation — continued work at the scene.
The case began around 8 a.m. Sunday, when Airen went to help a friend’s family by letting out their dogs and chickens while they were out of town.
When he didn’t return home, Airen was reported missing around 6:20 p.m., prompting a large-scale search.
According to a probable cause statement out of Bates County, Missouri, Leonard contacted the sheriff’s department and told them Airen’s body was in the county.
Investigators say Leonard later led them to the teen’s body, which was found dumped in a ravine. At this time, Leonard has been charged with abandonment of a corpse.
“I asked them, ‘how did he die?’ And he said he was attacked by animals – found in the woods attacked by animals,” Gunn said.
Gunn describes her son as kind and always willing to help others.
Leonard remains behind bars on a $100,000 bond. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges could follow.