Virginia police confirm identity of 1972 body as that of a 4-year-old boy from Philadelphia.

A small Pennsylvania community is reeling after the identification of a boy whose body was discovered in a Virginia creek more than 50 years ago, along with revelations about the suspected circumstances surrounding his death. The boy, identified as Carl Matthew Bryant, was just four years old when his unclothed body was found on June 13, 1972. Following advancements in DNA technology and forensic-grade genome sequencing, the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia confirmed the identification last month.

Carl Bryant’s mother, Vera Bryant, who passed away in 1980, is believed to be involved in her son’s death alongside her then-boyfriend, James Hedgepeth, who had a prior murder conviction. Detectives investigating the case discovered that Vera had a second son, James, who also vanished in 1972, leading law enforcement to suspect that both boys may have been killed during a trip taken by the couple from Philadelphia to Virginia. During the 1972 Thanksgiving holiday, Vera Bryant allegedly claimed that her children were with Hedgepeth’s family, despite leaving Pennsylvania with them.

Assistant Chief Brooke Wright stated that the couple’s actions, including traveling without their children and failing to report them missing, suggest a sinister outcome. Investigators believe that the murders may have occurred en route between Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The grim discovery of the body was made by a young boy riding his bike, who spotted Carl’s remains at the Old Colchester Bridge in Lorton, Virginia, which prompted a police investigation. The initial cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma, leading to a homicide ruling. In the absence of any leads or matching reports of missing boys, Carl was buried at Coleman Cemetery in Alexandria under the name “Charles Lee Charlet,” a name assigned by a local church group that arranged the burial.

Subsequent investigations into the cold case continued for decades, yet the boy remained unidentified for years. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children created a composite sketch in the 2000s, but it yielded no results. Recent genetic genealogy efforts helped detectives trace Carl’s roots to Philadelphia, eventually leading to the exhumation of Vera Bryant’s body for DNA confirmation. This breakthrough, coupled with a hair sample collected decades earlier, ultimately resulted in the identification of Carl Bryant.

Law enforcement remains committed to uncovering the truth, as they seek to engage with individuals who might possess pertinent information regarding Hedgepeth’s background and the events that transpired during that fateful trip. The Fairfax County Police Department, along with other agencies involved in the investigation, expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts that facilitated this long-awaited identification.