4-year-old boy died of suffocation before being found in toy chest, police say

A four-year-old boy who went missing was found dead in his Utah home after accidentally suffocating in his toy chest, according to police.

The boy, Kache Wallis, died from positional asphyxiation after climbing into his toy chest sometime after his parents put him to bed on Saturday night, according to Hurricane City police.

The boy's death was ruled an accident by the state medical examiner's office on Wednesday.

Kache's grandmother told police that she saw him when she put him to bed on Saturday night, but when she checked his bed the next morning he was nowhere to be found.

“The Grandmother of Kache reported that he had been put to bed the night before and when he was checked on in the morning, he was not in bed and could not be found in or around the house,” Hurricane Police said in a press release.

She alerted the police, who arrived at the home and searched for the boy. Their search was also unsuccessful.

Officers searched the surrounding community for any sign of the boy, but were ultimately fruitless. Multiple agencies joined in on the search.

Police initially believed the boy might have been taken by his mother, a non-custodial parent. However, after getting in touch with her, they were able to confirm the boy was not with her.

Detectives returned to the home to search for any clues as to the toddler's whereabouts, which is when they found the boy inside the toy chest.

Police are not sure how the boy came to be stuck in the chest, but did determine that both parents were home when the boy died. Hurricane Police Officer Dan Raddatz told St George News that the lid to the toy box had become stuck, preventing the boy from lifting it off of himself to escape.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family.

“Kache had a smile that was infectious and loved everyone, everywhere he went, and they loved him too!” a message on the page reads.