Xavior had been reported missing back on May 27, and after exhaustive search efforts by local authorities, a body was discovered on September 30 'in a rural area approximately three miles northwest of Montezuma,' about 60 miles east of Des Moines, Sheriff Thomas Kriegel said Friday, according to CNN.
On Friday, the Iowa State Medical Examiner's Office notified the sheriff's department 'that the human remains have been positively identified as those of Xavior Harrelson,' Kriegel added.
A cause of death was not immediately provided by authorities, a Facebook post by the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office states.
However, Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, said Xavior's death is being investigated as suspicious, the Des Moines Register reported.
11-year-old Xavior Harrelson
CNN reports that the FBI had assisted local authorities in an effort to search for Xavior, spokeswoman for the FBI Omaha field office Amy Adams told the network.
The hunt for Xavior drew upwards of 500 people - 375 of which were volunteers and 125 members of law enforcement - at the height of search efforts.
A farmer eventually stumbled upon the remains in a cornfield about four miles outside of the small town of Montezuma, which has a population of 1,300 people, according to the Star Tribune.
Xavior had just started his summer vacation after finishing the school year at Montezuma Elementary school - only days prior to his disappearance.
Human remains found in late September near Montezuma, Iowa, have been positively identified as 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson. Xavior was reported missing on May 27, less than a week after completing fourth grade. https://t.co/iy1zjtqhyD pic.twitter.com/U1Qe5b8izf
— HLN (@HLNTV) October 16, 2021
Montezuma Elementary School Principal Kurt Hanna recalled the boy going classroom to classroom on the last day of school to say goodbye and wish his fellow students a good summer.
'You never think that would be one of the last times you see somebody. I'm praying it's not,' Hanna said at the time.
Hanna said Xavior is the kind of student that 'always wanting to make sure you're in a good mood and having a smile on your face.'
Meanwhile, Montezuma Mayor Jacki Bolen told the Register how the tight-knit community has been shaken by the news of the confirmation of Xavior's body.
Poweshiek County Sheriff’s office has confirmed that the remains found on September 30th were of 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson. The cause of death has not been released. pic.twitter.com/ZXPwAtGxqM
— Gillian Brooks (@GillianBNews) October 16, 2021
'We will never forget Xavior and his kind heart,' Bolen told the outlet.
'The Montezuma community is greatly saddened by the news of Xavior's passing. We express our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.'
An investigation into Xavior's death and disappearance is ongoing, according to authorities.
