12-Year-Old Missing Virginia Boy’s Body Recovered from Pond
Photo: Virginia State Police
The body of a missing 12-year-old Virginia Beach boy was pulled from a pond on Monday, just days after his family paid a ransom demand they received via Facebook. Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo was discovered around 1 p.m. near the Cambria at Cornerstone apartment complex, just off South Independence Boulevard.
His parents had reported him missing on Friday evening after realizing he was not at a friend’s house as expected and had not returned home. As his family made an emotional plea for his safe return on Facebook Live that night, they were contacted with a ransom demand. Believing their son had been abducted, they agreed to pay $500 to secure his release. However, they never heard back from the alleged kidnappers.
Days later, Juan’s body was found in a nearby pond, deepening the tragedy. Virginia Beach Police now suspect the ransom demand may have been an opportunistic scam targeting the desperate family. “This would not be the first time that that type of scam has been perpetuated on a family that is going through difficult circumstances,” Chief Paul Neudigate of the Virginia Beach Police Department told WTKR.
“Is that a possibility? It absolutely is.” Authorities have not yet determined Juan’s cause of death. “It’s too early for me to speculate… We just recovered him,” Chief Neudigate said. “As we get more information and we can confirm facts and not what we believe occurred, we will get that out to the community.”
While police had no specific indication that the ponds were linked to Juan’s disappearance, search teams left no stone unturned in their efforts to find him. The discovery of Juan’s body has devastated the local community. Many who had joined the search for him expressed their grief online.
“This was not the outcome we expected,” one community member wrote on Facebook. “They are still investigating, so many questions are not answered yet.” A candlelight vigil was held Monday night to honor the young boy’s life.
Another mourner shared their heartbreak on social media: “This hurts as a parent. So sad that this child’s life ended so early. Saddens me that his situation attracted so much negative judgment and racism. We are all humans, and every child’s death hurts as our own. RIP Sebastian.”
A local parent added: “Having a 12-year-old son myself, this definitely hit me hard. I couldn’t begin to imagine… RIP Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo. Sending love to his family.” Police have yet to identify those behind the ransom demand but are actively investigating the case.
“Unfortunately, because it involved out-of-state transactions, we need search warrants, subpoenas, to try to identify who that individual was who received that money,” Chief Neudigate said. As the investigation continues, authorities urge the public to remain vigilant against such cruel scams while the community mourns the tragic loss of a young life.
