Police Awaiting Coroner's Report on Body Found in Menifee

The body of a young male found in a shallow grave in Menifee Wednesday is being examined at the coroner's office, but there is no estimate on when a positive ID will be made, said a Riverside County Sheriff's Department official.

"A child ID is tougher to confirm," said Deputy Albert Martinez. "It may take longer than an adult, using dental records and X-rays."

Martinez also said he does not yet have authority to release the name of the 16-year-old male arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder following the discovery of human remains in the back yard of missing 11-year-old Terry Dewayne Smith Jr.

These questions and others have arisen following the discovery of the body early Wednesday morning, three days after Smith was reported missing by his mother. The discovery was made under a pepper tree on the Smith property, which had been thoroughly covered with search dogs the first day of Terry's reported disappearance.

How could the partially exposed body have been missed during that search? Some have speculated that the body was elsewhere during the initial investigation, then placed there after the search of the property had concluded.

"The investigators are looking into that, to determine if the body was there initially or if it was put there after the search was conducted," Martinez said. "We're looking at all the possibilities."

Martinez confirmed that a search warrant for the Smith property was obtained Wednesday, but not until after police had been on the property with the consent of the residents. The search warrant was a procedural move to protect police for when the case goes to court.

"The family was cooperative from the get-go," he said, dispelling rumors that the mother refused the officers access. "The search warrant is a normal procedural thing we do. It's part of the collection of evidence process. We waited for the search warrant before evidence was removed. That's to make sure that when the case goes to court, evidence isn't thrown out because they say we didn't have the right to be there."

Rumors also have circulated about the identity of the person who discovered the body. Martinez said he awaiting authorization to release that person's name.