Fairbanks police say they are investigating a 5-year-old boy’s death as a homicide after a family member reported it Monday.
A resident at an apartment on 10th Avenue called 911 at about 10 a.m. to say “a child had been harmed,” according to a police statement. There were no other children in the home, according to police spokeswoman Teal Soden. The person who called was a relative of the child, Soden said Tuesday.
Officers responded to the apartment and found the boy’s body, police said. They identified him as Robert J. Sarten.
“It was clear from the boy’s injuries that he was a victim of homicide,” police said.
The caller was the only person in the apartment with the boy when officers arrived on scene, they said. An investigation was continuing.
On Tuesday, detectives requested video footage from people with cameras along 10th and 11th avenues, between Cushman and Barnette streets, for a timeframe between 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Monday. Police asked anyone with cameras pointed at the road, parking spaces, intersections or their doors to contact Detective Rob Hall at rhall@fairbanks.us or 907-450-6500.