Investigators return to missing boy’s trailer in Montezuma

MONTEZUMA, Iowa (KCRG) - Law enforcement officials returned to the trailer home where 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson’s mom lives.

According to television station KCCI, the investigators with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation visited the home again on Tuesday afternoon. Xavior’s mom lives in a corner lot at the Spruce Village trailer park. She hasn’t spoken to her neighbors or news media since his disappearance on Thursday, May 27.

According to two of Xavior’s middle school teachers, his mom has a disability and he does at least some of the caretaking for her.

“He would often say how he needs to be with mom and help out home and all those things,” Marie Bolten, one of the teachers, said. “So that’s why I just feel that, you know, something’s happened out of his control.”

The Iowa DCI was also combing through any surveillance footage they had available and pleaded with area residents to come forward with additional video.

“We’ve asked that if you have a surveillance system, whether it’s your home or business, let us know as there might be something on there,” Mitch Mortvedt, with the DCI, told KCCI.

Nathan Borton, a neighbor who lives several homes away, told KCCI that he never saw Xavior wander far from home.

“I’ve actually never seen him leave the trailer court,” Borton said. “He usually goes up and down here and cuts off right before that street up there.”

Mortvedt said that the investigators currently believe that Xavior is not in the area, and that they were confident they had looked everywhere an 11-year old might have gone on their own. However, he added that his disappearance is not connected to the discovery of an unidentified boy’s body near Las Vegas late last week.

Montezuma residents hope for positive outcome

Locals in the Montezuma area, many of which helped in search efforts over the weekend, are holding out hope for the safe return of Xavior.

“We searched grassy areas, alleyways, and ditches near our house,” Brenda Fisch, of Montezuma, said.

Fisch and her husband, Dave, helped search for Xavior on Tuesday by driving their golf cart around town.

“We have a granddaughter near his age,” Brenda said. “I couldn’t imagine something like this happening to her. We want to help in any way we can.”

Mortvedt couldn’t say how many tips the DCI has received but said they needed more people to continue to call with any bit of information they might have.

“Unless we get more specific tips on where to search, we will focus on the investigative side of it,” Mortvedt said.

That was what the Fischs hoped to do by continuing to ride their golf cart around town.

“Any little bit we can do to help,” Brenda said. “I would love to find him.”

The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office said Harrelson was last seen at around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 27. He was last known to be wearing a red t-shirt, blue pajama pants, and black high-top shoes. He has brown hair and blue eyes, and he is about 4′8″ tall and 100 pounds.

Anyone with any information related to Xavior’s disappearance should call the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office at 641-623-2107.

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