Autistic boy found after several days in the woods

Eight-year-old Robert Wood Jr., was found Friday, five days after he vanished during a family hike in a Virginia park.NEW: An ER doctor says it is "amazing" the boy survived so long on his ownThe 8-year-old wandered away from his family while on a hike6,000 volunteers and 300 rescuers searched for himHe was spotted in a creek bed at a quarry, a sheriff's lieutenant says
(CNN) -- An 8-year-old autistic boy who went missing from a central Virginia park five days ago was discovered alive Friday at a nearby quarry, authorities said.
"Robert is a very strong and determined little boy," Robert Wood Sr. said in a statement released hours after his son was found. "We never gave up hope that he would return home safe."
A citizen involved in a large-scale search spotted Robert Jr. about 2 p.m. Friday in a creek bed just off a roadway at a Martin Marietta quarry, said Hanover County Sheriff's Lt. Col. David Hines.
Found curled in a fetal position, the boy was "in serious but good shape," Hines added. "Whenever a child is missing, everyone steps up. And that's what happened today."
Robert was taken by helicopter to the Children's Hospital of Richmond, where he was reunited with his family about 3 p.m.
Dr. Christopher Woleben told CNN late Friday that the boy -- who cannot speak, due to his autism -- was "awake, alert (and) surprisingly interactive" when he got to the emergency room.
"He was excited to see his mother, smiling every time he saw her," Woleben said. "He did have some signs and symptoms consistent with cold exposure, and we did a pretty thorough medical investigation."
The boy wandered away Sunday while on a hike with his father, father's girlfriend and his younger brother at the 80-acre North Anna Battlefield Park, according to CNN affiliate WTVR. The park is in Doswell, about 45 miles north of Petersburg and 80 miles south of Washington.
In subsequent days, approximately 6,000 volunteers had joined roughly 300 rescuers looking for young Robert in and around the Civil War battlefield. The boy was found between 3/4 of a mile and one mile from where he was last seen, according to Hines.
The lieutenant colonel said authorities had to turn volunteers away because of the strong desire to help, applauding their service.
So, too, did Robert Wood Sr. He thanked those who had helped, and offered thoughts and prayers, and assisted in other ways.
"The support we have received is overwhelming," the father said.
Barbara Locker, the boy's mother, said in a statement Friday that her child was "here and safe" and "a strong little fella."
Woleben, the emergency room physician, called it remarkable that Robert -- given his age, diagnosis, as well as the conditions outside -- appeared so positive and alert after his discovery.
"It is an amazing story that he was able to survive that amount of time on his own," the doctor said.
Read more about this story from CNN affiliate WTVR.
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Dismembered bodies found in Juarez

In the first scene, an ice cooler with two heads is left on the street A sign next to the bodies warns those against a new cartel A few hours later, two other mutilated bodies are found in a different neighborhood
(CNN) -- Mexican officials found four dismembered bodies scattered in two neighborhoods in Ciudad Juarez on Tuesday, with a message by a "new" drug cartel at one of the scenes.
In the first scene, an ice cooler with two heads was left on street next to a sign by a group calling itself the "new cartel de Juarez," according to Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state prosecutor.
The sign issues a warning for those against the new group.
A few hours later, two other mutilated bodies were found in another neighborhood with a sign threatening the culprits of the first attack, according to the municipal police.
The new Juarez cartel is most likely a fusion between the Sinaloa cartel and its rival the Juarez cartel, local journalists said.
Juarez , just across the U.S.-Mexico border from El Paso, Texas, is one of Mexico's deadliest cities and an epicenter of drug cartel violence. The Juarez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel are fighting a bloody turf war in the region for lucrative smuggling routes, and for drug-dealing territory in the city.
Authorities found a graffiti message signed by the new drug cartel two months ago in Chihuahua city, but have disclosed little information about the group.
"We know in principle ... of an alleged group, but we have no hard information in relation to it. We are working. We are investigating," Cesar Augusto Peniche, a spokesman for the federal Attorney General's office, told reporters this month.
Crime rates in Juarez have gone down since last year, with the daily homicide rate dropping from about eight in 2010 to six in 2011.
Sandoval said the Juarez cartel continues to recruit and operate in the city, but did not elaborate on the new sign.
An investigation is under way, the state prosecutor's office said.
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Gadhafi loyalists found dead in hotel

The chairman of Libya's National Transitional Council Mahmoud Jibril says elections will be held within eight months.Human Rights Watch says the bodies were found in a Sirte hotel last weekHRW: Some of the deceased had their hands bound behind their backsThe area of Sirte has been controlled by anti-Gadhafi fighters since early October, HRW saysResidents identified some of the dead as Sirte residents and Gadhafi supporters
(CNN) -- The bodies of 53 people, believed to be supporters of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, has been found in a hotel that was under the control of anti-Gadhafi fighters, Human Rights Watch said Monday.
The rights group said it found the bodies clustered together at Hotel Mahari in Sirte on Sunday. About 20 residents were putting the bodies in body bags to prepare them for burial when Human Rights Watch found them.
"We found 53 decomposing bodies, apparently (Gadhafi) supporters, at an abandoned hotel in Sirte, and some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot," said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of Human Rights Watch.
"This requires the immediate attention of the Libyan authorities to investigate what happened and hold accountable those responsible."
Officials with the National Transitional Council, Libya's new leadership, were not immediately available for comment.
The residents told Human Rights Watch investigators they found the bodies last week after the fighting in Sirte stopped and they returned home.
They identified some of the deceased as Sirte residents and Gadhafi supporters.
Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown, was one of the last cities to fall before the National Transitional Council declared the country liberated Sunday following Gadhafi's 42-year rule.
However, anti-Gadhafi fighters from Misrata had controlled the area of Sirte where the hotel is located since early October, Human Rights Watch said, citing witnesses.
On the entrance and walls of the hotel, the group said it saw the names of several brigades from Misrata.
Based on the condition of the bodies, the group's investigators determined the 53 had been killed between October 13 and 19.
"The evidence suggests that some of the victims were shot while being held as prisoners, when that part of Sirte was controlled by anti-Gaddafi brigades who appear to act outside the control of the National Transitional Council," Bouckaert said.
"If the NTC fails to investigate this crime it will signal that those who fought against Gaddafi can do anything without fear of prosecution."
At a different location, Human Rights Watch found 10 decomposed bodies that had been dumped in a water reservoir. The group could not determine whether the bodies belonged to pro- or anti-Gadhafi forces.
In addition, medical officials in Sirte told the group that pro-Gadhafi forces had carried out killings in the city and that they had found 23 bound bodies between October 15 and 20.
Meanwhile, questions linger about the circumstances surrounding Gadhafi's death Thursday, with Human Rights Watch and others questioning the Libyan interim government's version.
An autopsy revealed Gadhafi died from gunshot wound to the head.
Mahmoud Jibril, chairman of the NTC's executive board, has said Gadhafi's right arm was wounded when a gun battle erupted between the fighters and Gadhafi loyalists as his captors attempted to load him into a vehicle.
More shooting erupted as the vehicle drove away, and Gadhafi was shot in the head, dying moments before arriving at a hospital in Misrata, Jibril said, citing the city's coroner.
On Monday, Human Rights Watch said it found the remains of at least 95 people who were apparently killed at the site Thursday. Some died in the fighting and in the NATO airstrike on Gadhafi's convoy prior to the ousted leader's capture. But the group said that about six to 10 seemed to have been "executed" -- with bullet wounds to the head and body.

Body found believed that of missing Maryland boy

Police say William McQuain was last seen on September 30 at his home. His mother was found dead on October 12.William McQuain, 11, has been missing for more than two weeksMcQuain's mother was found dead at her Maryland home October 12A search dog team found the remains in a wooded area, police say

(CNN) -- A body found in a wooded area Tuesday is believed to be that of 11-year-old William McQuain, who went missing more than two weeks ago, Montgomery County, Maryland, police said.

Search dog handlers found the body of a young African-American male in Clarksburg, Maryland, just after 9 a.m. Tuesday, police said in a statement.

The scene was still being processed Tuesday morning, and police spokeswoman Rebecca Innocenti had no information on when a positive identification would be made.

An Amber Alert was issued for the boy after his mother, Jane McQuain, 51, was found dead in the bedroom of her Germantown home October 12. She had been stabbed and beaten, according to police.

Her son was not there, and her Honda CRV was gone, but police later recovered it.

Police said the boy was last seen September 30 at his home. Authorities said Jane McQuain had been dead for about 10 to 12 days when her body was found. The discovery was made after a friend contacted police and said he had not been able to contact her and was concerned.

Curtis Lopez, 45, was arrested last week in Charlotte, North Carolina, in connection with Jane McQuain's death. He waived extradition to Maryland on Monday. Police said Lopez was McQuain's husband and was often at her residence, although he did not appear to live there. Witnesses reported seeing him loading items into McQuain's vehicle recently, police said.

Authorities obtained a surveillance tape from the morning of October 1 showing Lopez "entering and re-entering" a storage unit in Germantown with the boy, the police statement said. "At that time, William McQuain appeared to be in a playful mood and showed no signs of distress."

"The clothing that William McQuain was wearing in the video is similar to the clothing found on the body that was located," the statement said. The body is believed to have been in its location since October 1, authorities said.

CNN's Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

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