The recently found body suspected to belong to 16-year-old James Holley was confirmed to be his Sunday night, his father Robert Holley told The Dartmouth.
"Indeed that was my son's body that was found, and yes, he was brought to the state medical examiner in Burlington for an autopsy by Dr. Shapiro [acting chief medical examiner for the Vermont Department of Health]," he said.
Two neighborhood women discovered Holley's body Wednesday evening on a walk through the woods outside of Holley's home in Norwich, Vt., Norwich Police Sgt. Mike McGee told the Valley News. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but McGee said it appeared to be a suicide.
Robert Holley expects to receive the autopsy report from the state medical examiner's office today.
James Holley was reported missing from his home at 8 a.m. on Feb. 28 and had not been seen or heard from since. That evening, a bloodhound traced Holley to Foodstop on Main Street in Hanover but was unable to track him any farther. His family and friends put up posters with his picture around the Upper Valley and listed him in a national database for missing persons.
Ben Rinner, a friend of James Holley told the Valley News that he started a group on the social networking web site Facebook.com where students could list their assumptions on Holley's whereabouts.
Holley's parents have arranged a public funeral at Saint Thomas's Episcopal on Wheelock Street in Hanover for Thursday at 11 a.m. A private burial for Holley with close family and friends is scheduled to follow. A reception at the Edgerton House Episcopal Center has been planned for guests who will not attend the burial.
Robert Holley and his wife expressed gratitude toward the Dartmouth community for their support during this time.
"The support from the Dartmouth community has been tremendous," he said. "We really appreciate the time that many faculty, staff and students put into finding our son. The support from the Dartmouth College community has made this time much easier for us."
