Photo: GoFundMe
Two children are facing charges after the drowning death of an eight-year-old boy, initially thought to be accidental, was ruled a homicide, per PEOPLE.
The charges come after the body of Noah Bush, 8, was found in a borrow pit in Jesup, Georgia on May 16, a day after the boy was reported missing.
Police initially believed the boy accidentally drowned in the water, citing that there were no signs of foul play. However, Noah's family maintained that there was something suspicious about his death.
"My brother apparently jumped into a creek and drowned, but my brother did not like water," his sister, Alayzia McClinton, said at the time.
Following an investigation, a medical examiner ruled Noah's cause of death was drowning and his manner of death a homicide.
Wayne County officials charged two children, ages 10 and 11, in connection to Noah's death. 35-year-old Natalie Hardison, the mother of one of the two children, was also arrested on charges of providing false statements, probation violation, and mandatory education for children between 6 and 16.
According to Wayne County Sheriff's Office, "one of the two juveniles whom were with Noah pushed him into the deep portion of the borrow pit they were wading in."
An attorney for Noah's family said the victim and the two children had gotten into an argument that "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,” the attorney said.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.