BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Brookings Police say a story that a youth who drowned in a pond was pushed was “fabricated.”
10-year-old Molu Zarpeleh drowned July 3.
Police say a child who said Molu was pushed into the retention pond recanted.
The investigation continues.
Below is the release from the Brookings Police Department.
(Liz Ryan, KELO.com News, contributed to this report.)
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The Brookings Police Department continues to investigate the death of 10-year-old, Molu Zarpeleh, whose body was recovered from a private retention pond on Friday, July 3rd, 2020, at approximately 8:40 a.m.
Through an ongoing investigation, detectives have conducted numerous interviews and have obtained video surveillance footage from the area. Early on in the investigation, Detectives received information about a child who said they had witnessed Molu being pushed into the water. Detectives interviewed the child who later disclosed to them that they had fabricated the story and did not witness Molu being pushed into the water. The child also disclosed to their father that the story was fabricated.
Detectives continue to search for information and gather evidence relating to this ongoing investigation. If you have information, you are asked to please call the Brookings Police Department non-emergency line at (605) 692-2113.
Read the initial Press Release here:
http://cityofbrookings.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2972&fbclid=IwAR2VFR5MjWX7qcSmHyLEP8SSv2nK0krGo5bFzsPv334G_HN4SMxjHFSrVmE
