NCIS investigates boy's death

ALFRED, Maine -- State Police have enlisted the help of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they try to identify a young boy found dead on the side of a back road near the Maine-New Hampshire border, officials said yesterday.

State Police Lt. Brian McDonough said a dark blue truck was seen near where the body was found Saturday in South Berwick and the witness noticed some type of naval insignia near the license plate. The witness believes the truck was being driven by a woman, the only occupant, McDonough said.

Investigators were going to military installations and naval reserve centers in the region, McDonough said.

They theorize that if the boy belonged to a transient, military family, he was less likely to be known to neighbors, which could explain why he has not been reported missing.

Police were conducting DNA tests on the boy's body in the event they may be helpful in tracking down family members.

The boy, believed to be between 4 and 6 years old, was found wrapped in a blanket. -- AP