POUND – A 9-year-old boy was killed following an ATV crash Wednesday in Wise County, Virginia State Police said.
Wise County Sheriff's deputies discovered the body of Austin W. Bowman, 9, of Pound, at approximately 5 p.m. Wednesday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred in the 8300 block of Wilderness Path Road in Pound.
The crash is being investigated by VSP troopers.
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office initially requested assistance from state police in their search for a juvenile who had been reported missing earlier Wednesday.
Bowman's mother had notified the sheriff’s office that her son was missing when the boy failed to return home several hours after leaving the house.
A police tracking canine led deputies to a location down the road from his residence on Wilderness Path Road, state police said. Further investigation revealed Bowman had apparently lost control of the ATV while driving it. The ATV crashed and came to rest upside down.
Bowman was wearing a helmet.
The incident remains under investigation at this time, authorities said.