4-Year-Old Utah Boy Found Dead in Toy Chest

The 4-year-old Utah boy who was believed to have mysteriously disappeared after being put to bed by his grandmother on Saturday night only to be found dead in a toy chest died from positional asphyxiation, officials said.

Kache Wallis was initially believed to have gone missing, and his disappearance prompted an extensive search by family, friends and multiple agencies. His body was discovered later in a small toy chest in his bedroom, officials said.

Kache died from positional asphyxiation and his death was ruled accidental by the Utah Medical Examiner’s office, according to a news release by the Hurricane Police Department.

Positional asphyxia is a form of mechanical asphyxia, which occurs when a person is immobilized in a position and can’t get enough air to breathe, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Described as a “fun-loving free-spirited little boy,” Kache had last seen on Saturday night when he was put into his bed in his home in Hurricane, Utah, about 290 miles away from Salt Lake City, the Hurricane City Police Department said.

But Kache’s grandmother later saw he was not in bed and could not be found in or around the house. When family and friends were unable to locate the little boy, they called police, the Hurricane Police said in a news release.