Boy found dead at a Las Vegas trail identified, mom accused of murder

A boy found at the bottom of a trail outside of Las Vegas has been identified and his mom is now in custody in connection to his death.

On June 8, Las Vegas Metro Police announced the arrest of Samantha Moreno Rodriguez, 35. She was arrested in Denver, Colorado and charged with open murder. She is being held in a Colorado jail until she can be brought back to Las Vegas to face the charges.

The victim was identified as Liam Husted, 7.

The arrest caps off weeks of searching for the boy’s identity that included a woman mistakenly telling police the 7-year-old was her child.

Around 7:45 a.m. on May 28, Las Vegas Metro police responded to a call of an unresponsive boy near the Mountain Spring Trailhead.

There, officers found the body of an 8- to 12-year-old boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Officials held a press conference and released a sketch of the boy that afternoon.

The next day, a mother came forward and identified the victim as her 8-year-old son, according to police. The boy was last seen leaving his house on May 27 around 9 p.m. He was with his father, Jose Montes-Herrera, 37, and his half-brother Eden, 11.

Las Vegas police then held another press conference to locate the family. A short time later, police learned the family was camping in central Utah and out of cell phone reception. Police found the trio and confirmed everyone was safe.

Police said they believed that mom misidentified the victim as her son.

In announcing the arrest, police did not detail how or why Rodriguez allegedly killed Husted.