Body Found Near Where Autistic Teen Disappeared

Remains May Be Those Of Missing Teen

Authorities said the remains resemble the description of an autistic teenager who was last seen in the area more than a month ago.

The body was found in a wooded area near the home of Alfred Clare.

"There was an odor of carrion on the air and it wasn't too strong. It lasted about three or four days and that was on the Fourth of July," Clare told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

A mother and daughter looking for a runaway goat found the fully clothed body face down Tuesday about three blocks from the home of Ashton Smith, 16, who was last seen June 9, police said. An autopsy was conducted Wednesday.

"In general, it's the same stature as Ashton, the same height," Mountlake Terrace police Sgt. Craig McCaul said. "We're not saying it is or it isn't."

Dental records were obtained from the missing boy's mother and provided to the Snohomish County medical examiner's office, McCaul said.

Dental comparisons will be made Thursday, said Lynnwood police spokeswoman Trudy Dana. She said the case was being investigated as a homicide.

Detective Rod Cohnheim said the body was out in the open without any indication of an attempt to hide or cover it. He wouldn't say whether a weapon or personal items were found.

Smith was described as having Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism that left him vulnerable in social situations.

Because he followed a rigid schedule and wasn't comfortable outside his routine, his mother, Roseanne Smith, said she was convinced someone else was involved in his disappearance.

She said she discovered last week that her .22-caliber handgun was missing from a safe in her bedroom. The key to the safe was also missing.

She was not talking to reporters Tuesday night.

Janet Bates, a member of Guarding Angels of America, a missing children's group that has been working with Roseanne Smith, said the mother was "very upset" by the discovery.