MICHAEL MAXEY Jr. - 12 yo - Gary IN

GARY, Ind. - A 12-year-old Gary, Ind., boy who disappeared from his
family home Monday with a gun has been found dead, authorities said
this morning.

He was found down the block from his West Side home in 6000 block of
West 36th Avenue. The Lake County (Ind.) coroner's office would only
say his body showed evidence of trauma and that an autopsy is scheduled
for later today.

Michael Maxey Jr., who went by the name Wayne, was reported missing
about 4:30 p.m. Monday. Police said he returned from school Monday with
his sister, then left with the family handgun and bullets. They said he
did not have a history of being a runaway.

The body was found in the 3600 block of North Colfax Street.

Gary police conducted a canine search Tuesday and had planned to resume today.

He was a 6th-grader at Hammond Baptist School.

Family members of a pre-teen boy who was found dead
with a self-inflicted gunshot wound say the boy never showed any signs
that he was troubled and have a hard time believing he would take his
own life.
"He was bubbly. He thought he was a comedian. He always told corny jokes," said Krystal Slager, a friend of the 12-year-old Michael "Wayne" Maxey's family.



The
sixth-grader's family reported Maxey missing Monday afternoon. That
day, police say he returned home from school with his younger sister
and left with a backpack containing a handgun and bullets. Police found
his body -- along with the gun -- in the woods near his home early
Wednesday morning.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether his death was a suicide or accidental.
"It
is primarily being investigated as a possible suicide, but we're not
closing any doors until we get confirmation. We want to know what
happened to this child," said Sgt. Dawn Westerfield.
Maxey's family said he enjoyed playing the saxophone and video games. Hammond Baptist School said he was a "good boy who was very well-liked and respected by his teachers and classmates."
Longtime neighbor Howard Spradlin was brought to tears when he heard about Michael's death.
"God has a special place for him," Spradlin said.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday.

A 12-year-old Indiana boy who was last seen on Monday afternoon when he left his home with the family’s rifle was found dead in a field about a block from his house.

According to reports, after returning home from school with his sister on Monday, Michael Maxey Jr. took the gun and bullets and left his house without telling anyone where he was going.

Around 4:30 p.m. when he did not return home, his family called 911

Shortly after midnight on Wednesday a neighbor, who had heard about the missing boy on the local news, called to say he had seen the 6-grader in a field.

Michael was later found in a ditch with a single gunshot wound.

Gary police do not believe anyone else was involved in Michael’s death.

Gary police continue investigation into 12-year-old's death
December 17, 2009 4:51 PM
Gary police are continuing their investigation into the death of a 12-year-old boy this week despite a ruling by the Lake County, Indiana Coroner's office that it was a suicide, a police department spokesman said this afternoon.

The Lake County Coroner's office Thursday ruled that Michael Maxey Jr. death Wednesday was a suicide caused by a single gunshot to the head....

http://archive.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/12/gary-police-continue-investigation-into-12-year-olds-death.html